Human Type
by FireBlaster
Summary: When humanity decides human isn't good enough, they look for ways to improve their race. What better way than to integrate the skills found only in Pokemon? Sometimes, things are better off the way nature intended...
1. Chapter 1 Time To Run

**Chapter 1 – Time To Run**

Author's Note: Hey. This is my first attempt at something like this, so first and foremost, after you read it, I would appreciate any and all criticism.

Well, now that that crap's out of the way, about the chapter. The main thing I wanted to do in this chapter is present the main two characters. Which I do. You're welcome.

The next chapter was supposed to be part of this one, but I got carried away with some things... one thing led to another... I woke up down a kidney in Tijuana... and said "Fuck it. They're going to be separate."

So, the story will actually begin to play out in the second one, but for now... enjoy the read.

And remember, comments and criticism is encouraged!!!

* * *

"**Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable." –Bruce Lee**

"Damn it all Ken… Just tell me what you were doing." Officer Jenny stood over the young man on the curb with a tired look in her eyes.

Kendrick was visibly uninterested in what she had to say. His whole 6-foot athletic frame was completely lax as he slouched on the sidewalk. Sporting his usual black sweatpants with flame streaks down the side, with his matching black T-shirt and fire red vest thrown over it, he looked as lazy as his brown and greatly disheveled hair.

"I already told you. It really doesn't matter. I wasn't anywhere near the street where it happened. And I shouldn't need to tell you where I was. How long have you known me? Do you honestly think I'd do something like that?"

"Kendrick! I don't think it was you, but your lack of cooperation isn't helping a damn thing! A man died! Don't you at least want to help us fix this? I know it wasn't you, but do you wanna' know how everyone else will see this? They'll see you up for murder, and they'll open this brick of a police record on you. And what happens when they do that? They see five assault cases in the past two years, one of them saw a kid spend a week in a coma, and about 200 hate crime complaints reported for abuse against Grass Pokemon."

"Since when is it assault when you win? Besides, all those cases proved false. I was the one attacked in all of them. And that kid only got hit once. I'm public enemy number one around here, remember? Two friends, and a thousand enemies. And another thing… I'm not like that. Every one of those complaints was after a battle I won. With Shinx, remember? I'd say they had the advantage. Are we done here?"

"It's not winning when you hurt others needlessly. You're the enemy because you choose to be. Just stop battling the first guy to challenge you and think about why it even matters. And I know you're not like that… but other's don't."

"It matters because I need to be stronger. I told you before, if I'm strong enough, this won't happen."

"Yeah, yeah… same old thing with you, huh? Look, I tried to help you. A simple alibi would've saved you all this trouble. I'm through here."

As he watched Officer Jenny jump on her bike and speed off, he laid back on the sidewalk to think. _Shit's pretty crazy these days._ Kendrick had lived in Celadon City all his life. In a town so hard up for the grass type favored by Erika, it sure wasn't easy being a blatant fire fan. The closest he'd ever come to having a fire pokemon of his own was a Vulpix he had weakened in battle outside of town. Right before he solidified his first pokemon capture… his mom stepped in and shut it down. While he understood she couldn't let him for "his own safety", he also couldn't stand the fact that local opinion barred him happiness again.

_Like I give a damn what others think._ In reality, he didn't, save for his friends. Yet, the real reason he never tried to catch another one was for nothing other than the safety of it. The trouble was; the fire type was feared in Celadon. _And people always respond to their irrational fears… the dumb bastards._ Still though, Kendrick had to admit things were never this bad.

Three days ago, a massive wildfire broke out in a nearby forest. The city responded quickly and efficiently, but it didn't matter. The fire couldn't be stopped until help arrived from Cerulean the next morning. When all was said and done, damage assessors estimated somewhere over a thousand pokemon had been swallowed up in the inferno. _A thousand lives lost… and did people band together in mourning? No, they searched for an outlet._ And it didn't take long for people for people to link fire to fire. Over the last few days, things went from bad to worse, and now, horrible. The fire was put out Monday afternoon completely, and that same night, four families got a rude awakening from their sleep with a brick through their window. Each bore the same remarkably clever message taped to it: "LeAvE tHe FuCkInG tOwN." Tuesday, sadly, they did. Two of the displaced families had a fire trainer among them, whom Kendrick saw as good rivals in training, as well as his only real link to his favorite type. _And everybody just slept peacefully last night, didn't they? God damn it…_

Unfortunately, the incident wasn't nearly as over as everyone thought. A traveling trainer and his Charmander just passing through town were murdered in the morning. _Jenny had said that they weren't revealing details yet because it was… too brutal._ As much as Officer Jenny had tried to keep quiet about the case, he had gathered a good amount of information. _Apparently, the victim has yet to be properly identified, and it may take a while to get dental records. They couldn't just ID his face because there… well, wasn't much face left. She had specifically said torture, and I thought I read Vine Whip on the report when she wasn't looking. She also said that the way they knew it was a Charmander was because of the tail they found at the scene. Damn…_

He gripped Shinx and Eevee's pokeballs tighter as he thought about it, and decided there was nothing he could do right now. _Crap, I'm gonna' be late for work._ He released Shinx and waited for the lightning cub to stretch. After a satisfied growl, Shinx looked to his trainer earnestly.

"How about some early morning exercise? I'm gonna' kick your ass today."

No sooner had Shinx growled his approval than had the two taken off. Ken had yet to find a better feeling than racing his friend to work, and the two played dirty. Ken reached the corner first, and on his way around, nailed a pokeblock square in Shinx's face. The cub lost his focus and missed the turn, plowing towards the wall at a pretty dangerous speed. Luckily, they'd trained hard in urban combat, and Shinx had learned early on that above all, he should never lose his speed. As Ken ran off laughing, Shinx jumped up to the wall and exerted all his effort into springing off towards Ken. _Good job buddy. I can't teach you how to react, just that you need to._ What Ken hadn't expected was Shinx's next trick. After successfully launching himself down the right path, he let loose a Thunderbolt headed right towards Ken. _Shit!_ As soon as he'd caught the attack with his peripheral vision, Ken immediately jumped behind the nearest trashcan in the alley and covered up. It didn't seem to matter that the trashcan was made of rubber, the lid blew off all the same and garbage flew everywhere. _Haha! You little bastard!_ He took off from his hiding spot just as Shinx caught up to him and the two kept running side by side, wind blowing through the hair of each.

Both could see the Celadon Department Store clearly now, and it was still a dead heat. _Glad to see you still want me to think I can keep up with you. How kind._ A sudden tingling sensation crept down his neck, and he glanced back to see what it was. As he caught a glimpse of yellow-white hair under a hooded robe, he had a gut feeling something was up, and he knew better than to argue with those feelings. _Hello, cutie…_

He slowed his pace and waited for Shinx to catch the signal.

"You feel that bud? We're being watched." Ken nodded to the alley towards their right, and Shinx growled his acknowledgement. "Let's find out what our stalker wants."

Both stopped on a dime, left foot quickly used to break, then released to give the right foot control as a pivot, and used the swinging effect to burst back into stride. Side by side, it looked choreographed. Certainly torture to the feet, but amazingly more effective than the traditional stop and turn. As soon as they were out of the main street's line of sight, both dove into the nearest shrubbery, and waited. Sure enough, their pursuer trailed after, but much more cautiously, and searching to find her lost prey.

"Shinx." Ken whispered to where he was just audible by his pal. "I'll talk to her, and while she's distracted, get behind her and wait for my signal. Remember though, it's a girl. Be gentle." With a wink, he leapt out of hiding, and stood to face the woman. Now that he got a good look, he realized just what caught his eye in the first place. She was completely covered by a ragged brown and gray cloak, to the point he couldn't even make out a face. The only color he could see was the hair he noticed before. Up close, it was even brighter than he had thought, like the sun itself was reflecting off of it. _Wow… it's definitely a girl… no guy could have hair that pretty._

"Howdy! I'll just come out and say it. You need to learn to do a better job of following people."

The woman stood completely still, and Kendrick had a quick flash of fear that she knew he was stalling. He also noticed, that even since he saw her back in the street, she hadn't seemed to stop facing him. _Okay… this is a little weird…_

"Well, can I at least see your face? I bet you're a babe. C'mon… besides, a cutie like you should be wearing pretty clothes, not some homeless rags. How about a dress that matches your hair? And where those worthless frills would go, some real badass flame print instead?"

_Still nothing, eh?_ Kendrick took a step towards her, and almost immediately, she stepped back. "_Yikes, a little cautious, aren't we,"_ thought Ken, scratching the back of his neck, but quickly stopped. _No… that wasn't caution._ He'd seen that posture before. Hell, he'd caused it before. _That's fear. This may not be what I thought it was. Better call Shinx… Shit!_ He caught his mistake right as it was too late. His arms was raised as a sign of peace, his least often used gesture, and likewise, a perfect choice for the attack signal.

The Thunderbolt came so fast Kendrick didn't even have time to process it, like his loyal friend had managed to do so many times before. However, as soon as his brain registered the attack, he began to notice something else. _It missed her… That's not possible…_

A wave of astonishment passed over him as he realized it hadn't missed her, but rather, was dodged. He looked at Shinx and saw the same shocked look in his eyes. _Nobody. Nobody dodges Shinx's lightning. What the hell?_

"Ken…" The quiet voice was some mixture of calm and wonder. "_And… beautiful,"_ thought Kendrick, with a rare blush. And as fast as she'd appeared, she disappeared, running back to the street, and blending into the crowd.

"Wait!" Ken shouted, but to no avail.

Shinx walked back to join Ken as he fell to the ground to relax. "Dammit Shinx, it's bad enough most girls ignore me, you scare off the one's who will talk." The cub said nothing, merely turning his body and walking away indignantly.

"Hey, I'm just messing with you! Don't worry man, I'm sure there's plenty of chicks out there who dig lions. You're still my number one wingman! Speaking of… you're probably getting old enough to look for a lioness yourself… eh? Just let me know if you need me, I'll take you guys to the park or something. And hey, if you can, make sure she belongs to a real hot trainer, okay? That'd make things easier for the both of us."

As many times as Shinx had heard this teasing routine before, he couldn't help but feel happy for his friend. For the first time since he'd known Kendrick, he saw him visibly distraught, and it scared him. The same guy who'd feel more comfortable fighting pokemon along with Shinx, rather than giving orders. The same guy who'd raised him to respect others, and show no mercy on the battlefield. He didn't ever want to see his trainer at a loss again, and to do that, he'd have to be ready for him at all times.

* * *

_Work's as slow today as it always is. Well, not slow. Boring._ As much as Kendrick loved his job in the only video game store Celadon had, he had to admit it was nothing exciting. _Five customers all day… I wonder if I could leave a bit early today?_

"Hey boss! Do you really…" Ken was cut off by a woman's voice behind him.

"Excuse me, Ken?"

_Wait a minute… that voice!_

Sure enough, as he swung around to see her, he knew it was the same girl. But this time, she wasn't wearing the cloak. Instead, she now wore a crimson beret set neatly on top of her wild hair, a pair of bright yellow sneakers, and most noticeably, a sleek black dress with flames lining the bottom.

"You…" Ken struggled to find the right words to say, caught between wanting to act like he didn't care, and saying the truth. _God… she's really beautiful._

"You… don't really match, you know?" _Smooth, Ken. And… I stay single._ He fought the urge to break his face through the closest glass display case he could find.

She just continued to stare at him, never breaking eye contact, no matter how often he tried. _Should I try again? Wait… is she wearing what I told her to?_

"Hey, you didn't have to change because of what I said. You looked fine, kinda' mysterious. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"It's not." Her voice was as calm as it had been earlier, but now, it seemed more focused.

"Come again?"

"It's not what you told me to wear. The lady in the store said they didn't carry dresses my size in that color. Sorry…"

"Hey, don't apologize! What the hell are you apologizing for? I don't even know you, how could I know what's best, and besides, you don't have to do anything for me." _But she did._ "But why the hell would you? We just met, right? I mean, you knew my name and all, but I don't even know what your face looks like. I mean, I do now, but only because you came walking into the store dressed in some ridiculous get-up like that, which you completely didn't have to even wear." _But she did. Why?_

"You're… talking fast."

"Huh?" _Crap, she must've noticed that I'm nervous. I've got to shape up. This is embarrassing._ "Yeah, you caught me. I guess it's just that I talk fast when confronted by a pretty girl like this, eh?" _Nice…_

"You seemed to talk fine when you were with the policewoman earlier."

_Shit._

"Look, that's a different type of thing…"

Even as he began to draw small circles in the counter-top with his finger, he knew that she was on to him. "What I mean to say is, she's not like you… or rather, she's… you're… Wait a minute! You were watching us?" He couldn't believe he'd almost missed that bit of info. "And how do you know my name? Who the hell are you?"

"Follow me." Same as last time, she took a step back, and was immediately running away.

"Wait! Damn her. She needs to stop with that vanishing crap."

Turning back around to his counter determined to get back to work, Kendrick saw his boss peeking around the corner of one of the shelves in the store.

"You know, if I were you, I'd have already caught up to her by now. Just saying…"

"Ugh… not you too. Damn. See you tomorrow sir." Ken was out the door long before his boss had a chance to wish him luck, and barreling towards the elevators with no regard for the after school crowds that plagued the entertainment floor of the department store. _The elevators are too slow, better take the stairs._

As he flung the door to the stairwell open, he stopped to look down to the bottom. The girl was there, staring back up, with a mischievous look in her eyes that Ken couldn't help but find intriguing.

"I was wondering what took you so long! You have to ask your master for permission to leave? Poor baby…"

"Up yours! What do you think you're doing? And what's with the sudden change of attitude." _It's like she's playing a game now. Almost like she's a different person._

"I already told you. Come catch me, then we'll talk."

She took off running out towards the street again, leaving Ken no time to start down the stairs. "Damn you!" _If she thinks she can get away from me, she's in for a rude awakening._ Ken flipped himself over the 3rd floor railing to drop down, tucked into a roll upon impact and started after her. He reached the street just in time to see her running down an alley to his right, and he began his pursuit.

"Crazy woman! Why the hell am I even chasing her?!" _Because you're curious, don't lie to yourself._ Ken couldn't help but laugh at himself for that one. "Heh. More like I'm bored." _Does it matter? You're still going to follow, no matter what the reason is._ "True."

As he reached the alley she'd ducked into, he saw he was closer than he thought he'd be. _Gotcha'. Not as fast as you thought you were, huh?_

"I'd run faster if I was you! I'll be on you before you know it!"

"I bet you tell all the girls that!"

"Smart-ass!" He noticed that she'd stopped running, and he began to slow up. "Now what?"

"I thought I smelled something a second ago…"

After deciding it wasn't really a trick, he stopped running and walked up behind her. "You what? What kind of smell?"

"It smelled like… a combination of smoke and rust. There it is again!"

Skeptical, Ken stuck his nose up and took a big whiff of the air. _She's definitely crazy. There's nothing around here. Especially nothing that's rusty. Besides, I can't smell a damn thing. But… she's obviously bent out of shape over something._

"Hey, I can't smell anything. You sure about this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Come on. It's coming from that way."

"There's nothing over there. Just more of these alleys behind the houses."

He ran with her as she took path after path. _What's she doing? It's like she's sniffing the air each time we get to a new trail. Actually, she looks like a dog. That's it. She's acting like a bloodhound searching for something. Bloodhound… blood… Shit._

"Hey, you said it smelled like rust right?"

"Yeah, we're getting close. Should be the next alley."

"Stop."

Whether it was the new, more forceful tone he used with her, or something else, she stopped and turned to face him. That's when he was sure she _was_ different than before.

_Are those… fangs?!_ The same cute face he'd seen before now bore a new trait, and with it, a new appearance altogether. He was sure of it now; they were fangs, and they hadn't been there when he'd talked to her in the store. However, Ken couldn't help but feel awed by the fact that they made the increasingly more mysterious girl seem even more attractive to him. _What the hell? I knew something was off with her, but this is ridiculous. Screw it, I don't have time for this._

"What is it? Oh… it's these, huh?" She covered her mouth and looked down, averting eye contact in much the same way he had in the store.

"No. I mean, we'll get to that later. Right now, you're sitting your pretty little ass down right here. I'm going into that alley alone. You're waiting here."

"No fair! How come?"

"Don't worry about it. It's probably nothing. I just have a bad feeling about it."

"I can take care of myself."

"I bet. But! You're with me right now. And I said to wait. That's that."  
He waited until she dropped to the ground with a childish, disgruntled look in her eyes, then left for the alley. _She'll just have to get over it. Besides, I can smell it now too… that's the smell of blood. And lots of it._ As he caught a glimpse of the drainage pipe for the alley, his fears were confirmed. Blood was flowing out of the pipe at a steady rate. Ken fought back the bile that climbed in his throat at the sight and smell of it all. It didn't seem to matter though. When he turned the corner, all of that effort was for naught. The vomit came fast, and flew freely. _I can't believe this… I'm not really seeing this…_

In reality, it wasn't what he saw, but what he didn't see. He could see the gray stone walls of the alley completely painted over in their new crimson palette. He could see what appeared to be burn marks lining the ground and alley, adding another level to the already sickening smell in the air. And he could see the blood pouring out of the open wound in what appeared to be the victim's head. What he didn't see was the body that particular head belonged to, where the eyes from the head were, or why there was only three of a Vulpix's tails on the ground.

He wiped his mouth and stood up to regain his balance, head spinning with disorientation. After a deep breath, he widened his legs a couple inches more in case he wasn't as fine as he thought. _I've got to find out if this is everything. There has to be something else around here! This can't be all that's left of them! Dammit!_ He broke into a sprint to get through the hell before him, only to stop after 4 strides. _What the hell? This ground… it's not solid. It's almost padded… oh, fuck me…_

Kendrick had found the bodies, and simultaneously realized that he still had a little bit more to throw up from his stomach. The ground had been littered with chunks of flesh and organ, neat little cubes of body parts all coated in red, blending into the ground.

_I've gotta' get out of here! I can't take this anymore! This isn't human… no gang could do this… could they?_

A shrill scream punctuated the quiet of the residential back alleys. _No! I left her there!_ Suddenly, all feelings of sickness disappeared and Ken seemed to run beyond human capability. She was in trouble, and he'd be damned if he'd let the girl end up all over the floor.

He didn't even get a good look at the guy he saw holding the girl a foot off the ground as he plowed into him like a linebacker. They hit the ground hard, and Ken moved into position to punch through the guy's face. The man was no pushover though, and kicked Kendrick aside. Both jumped up to their feet and faced each other.

"Kid, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" His voice sounded calm, annoyed, and slightly happy, like a kid who'd just found some new toys to play with.

"Was that your doing?"

"What? That alley back there? Heh… maybe. What's it to ya'?"

"Why? Why would you do that? You're not a fire hater. I can tell. So why?"

"Hmmm… would you buy that I was bored?"

"Are you serious?! That's your excuse?! You killed them!"

"What ever do you mean? I merely won the battle. Turns out my partner's Razor Leaf was a little more than they could handle. It's a shame really. For what it's worth, me and my friend have made a _killing_ since we started this battling thing."

"You bastard…"

"Are you done asking questions and wasting my time? I'm really not liking the vibe you're giving me dude. In fact, I don't even feel like battling you. Nah, I just want to… kill you."

"If you want to kill me, it'll take more than just talking."

"Oooohhh… I like that… maybe a battle would be fun after all. Hell, I'll try something new while I'm at it. How about… after I dismember you, I deflower your girl? Hmmm?"

"Fuck off!"

Both trainers threw their pokeballs up, and in a burst of white light, Shinx stood facing a much higher level Victreebel. Shinx began the battle routine that had served him so well for so long and started running around in circles around the grass type, building up momentum. Soon, the cub couldn't even be seen by the naked eye, but Ken still knew where he was and could see him, even if he couldn't literally.

"Double Team? What good will that do you? Come on… attack. You know you need to."

"Ha… not Double Team, just his pure speed. Alright Shinx, remember what I taught you. His level doesn't matter if he can't hit you. Bite! And don't hold back at all!"

The black and blue blur began to shift its shape, and speed streaks could be seen randomly popping out and slamming into Victreebel. Kendrick could see the damage; blood was trickling out of each wound. He seemed to be winning, but something wasn't right about it all. _He's not even dodging. I know his level's way higher, but still… It's like he's enjoying it._

"Game over. Sorry, little boy. I win."

"Wha… Shinx, he's using Bide!"

His warning didn't matter. Shinx just didn't have time to react. The area in front of Kendrick erupted in an explosion that sent shockwaves through his bones. _Stupid! I can't believe I made such a rookie mistake! Just because it's rarely used doesn't mean I should rule it out! Shinx!_

He watched his friend slam into the wall and slide down, leaving a trail of blood behind him. The cub wasn't moving.

"Shinx!" He ran to help him but was stopped immediately with a sharp pain from his leg. Apparently, the psycho had no qualms about hitting the opposing trainer with attacks as well, and as it turned out, Razor Leaf is a pretty painful grass move. "Argh… Damn! Shinx!"

"Nope. No helping him now. It's your turn."

Ken looked up just in time to see a Razor Leaf attack headed for his head. He flung to his feet and rolled to safety, narrowly missing the serrated leaves that went clean through the wall behind him. He kept running around to dodge the attacks as they flew by, no end to the barrage in sight, and each set of leaves getting closer and more frequent as the maniac's laughter was growing with his fatigue.

_I can't go on… I'm too tired. Shinx… I'm sorry. I failed you… and her…_

He didn't even bother to move when the next batch headed towards him.

_Screw it… I tried._

The flames passed so close to his face he was forced to gasp for new oxygen. Amazingly though, the leaves hadn't hit him, courtesy of the wall of fire. Ken searched for the source, only to find the girl standing strong next to him, with yet another new trait.

"Oh. Fuck me again. Now you have a tail. What. The. Hell." The exasperation on his face was comical almost, and he really looked ready to snap. He pulled on it to see if it was as real as he thought, despite knowing it had to be; the color matched her hair perfectly.

"Oww! What the hell's your problem?"

"I don't even know any more. I suppose the fire was you too? Peachy. Just fucking peachy. Anything else I should know?"

"Shinx is okay."

"He is?! Where is he?"

"Waiting for your signal." She gave him a wink that seemed to solve all of his problems.

_Nice. Well, looks like we win again after all._

"Hey, crazy asshole."

"Yes? You mind explaining why that little girl breathes fire? Maybe I should look at her innards for myself…?"

"How about we stop this for today? I'm really tired. Peace?"  
As he rose his hands in the gesture of peace, he saw Shinx leap out from the bushes to about 20 feet in the air, fully charged, and let loose a Thunderbolt stronger than the previous Bide attack could only dream of.

This time, Victreebel was the pokemon left not moving. All Ken could see of the man now was his feet left in his boots, welded to the ground. Shinx walked towards Kendrick, and he saw that he wasn't looking at his old Shinx anymore.

_So, you're a Luxio now? Look at you, shooting off electricity, acting all badass because you blew a guy up._ He couldn't help but grin at his friend. _We've been in danger before, but nothing quite like this. Still though, I didn't really want to kill the guy. Damn…_

"I guess it wasn't really some thugs like I thought. Looks like we had an actual serial killer on our hands."

"The police won't be able to prove it though, will they?" He noticed that she had torn off a part of her dress and was using it as a temporary tourniquet for his badly bleeding leg.

"Well, maybe they'll suspect that Victreebel, but all evidence is pretty much circumstantial now, and not really any good."

"What if you testified about it?"

"Well…" _Shit. I'm already pretty much a suspect. I can't just randomly stumble across the second murder, can I? Then there's the fact that I did kill a guy, self-defense or not…_

"Actually, I can't testify. I'll be in jail before I know it. Come to think of it, it's probably not even a good idea for me to stay in town. How about it Shi… Luxio? You wanna' check out a new place? I'm thinking Vermilion City."

"Why there?"

"The ferry runs out of there, in the port. We could take it to any region we want."

"You can just leave your family like that?"

"Well, I don't like the thought of it… but, I'll let them know I'm safe once we reach a boat out of here. Otherwise, they'll just stop me if they could."

"But, is running away from this... right?"

"The way I see it, I did nothing wrong. I'm just avoiding what would be future complications if I remained here, that's all. Besides, everyone wants to go on an adventure. Now's as good a time as any."

"Can… can I go with you?"

Ken was taken aback at her request. "Umm… sure? Why though?"

"I don't know. Maybe… I just… think that travelling with you would be fun."

"Wait a minute. Are you alone around here? Where's your family and friends?

She said nothing, and merely looked away. _Crap, maybe I shouldn't have asked something like that. I don't want her quiet again. Besides, I've gotta' go. Now. Everybody in the city would've heard what __happened here._

"Never mind. That doesn't matter right now. If you want to come with me, I'm not stopping you. Just one condition."

"Yes?"

"Well, two really. Rule one: You won't cry when I'm around. I haven't seen you cry yet, but I'm not taking any chances. That'd make me sad, and I'm not dealing with that, you got it?"

She obviously got the joke, since she brightened up immediately. "Fine. And rule two?"

"Condition two: You've got an assload of questions to answer, okay ma'am? We'll worry about that later though. Let's get going. Route 7 is the east entrance."

"Yes sir!"

He put Luxio back into his pokeball, and made sure they were clipped tightly to his belt. She helped him up onto his wounded legs, and when he was able to maintain his own weight, they left the nightmarish alleyways behind them and headed off, setting sun at their backs, and a new journey ahead.


	2. Chapter 2 Gonna' Be A Long Trip

Chapter 2 – Gonna' Be A Long Trip

Authors Note: I meant to post this on the last one, actually. I posted this on some time ago, and that's the site I use mostly. That said, I figured I'd post it here too, obviously, as the edited version. I'm only going to edit what's related to sexual content though, because if I have to censor action it's not worth posting. I say this because that little thing in the rating system said no violence. I take that to mean no unnecessary violence, like torture, since I'm not getting rid of things like action.

At any rate, this chapter once more, was supposed to be two parts, but... I think it had a good enough stopping point. My goal was to present as much background info as possible while keeping it funny and not sounding like a narrative. I think I did that too. You can judge.

Well, enjoy the chapter! And remember, all comments/words of criticism... Whatever you want... All are greatly appreciated.

And if you ever want to reach me, just contact me through whatever way I wrote on my profile.

Thanks for reading!

* * *

**To poke a wood fire is more solid enjoyment than almost anything else in the world. - Charles Dudley Warner**

**Me - "You know, that's really true."  
Friend named Carlos – "I know, right? Okay, look, whenever you see a group of old men sitting around a camp fire, one of them is poking it with a stick."  
Me – "Man… You're right. It's just… there… all poke-able, and stuff."  
Friend named Carlos – "I know… awesome."**

**My Thoughts on the Matter:**

**There's just something about a fire that attracts mankind. Maybe it's the destructive power of it. Maybe it's the cleansing power of it. With fire, problems can be caused, and problems can be solved. As with most things in life, it's merely a matter of perspective and utilization. Fire is a neutral force. Those with the ability to use fire; they're the one's who cause harm or help others. At any rate, fire is a beautiful force in nature, much like the rain, and any other phenomenon.**

**In a sense, life can kinda' be traced back to a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors; much as fire beats grass, grass beats water, and water beats fire in Pokemon. The water types calm those fire types with hot heads, always acting on impulse. These water types shower the fire types with their benevolence and kindness. However, there are always grass types, ready to sponge up the kindness of the water types, and profit off of their generosity. When this occurs, and the grass types rise to power off of the waters, the time comes for those with the passion and attitude necessary to defeat these tyrants: The Fire Types. With their mighty fire, they burn the grass to ****the ground, effectively stopping the problem. Thus, the cycle begins again.**

**Maybe in life, there really is no end to all of the struggling. However, I will never stop believing that there are things in life that must be struggled for. And for what it's worth, I think it's what happens during these struggles that makes life what it is.**

**And if I made it sound like the grass type is evil, sorry. :P  
I merely used them in that order for the analogy's sake. That, and I'm kinda' biased. I always have put the Big 3 in this order:  
Charizard  
Blastoise  
Venusaur**

**If you don't like it, deal with it. :P**

As Kendrick woke to the first rays of sunlight shining through the surrounding trees and stretched out his body, he noticed Vesta had yet to wake up. He relaxed his body again, deciding it would be better for the both of them if they slept in a bit this morning.

_Meh… what could a little beauty sleep hurt? God knows we could use it…_

Watching her sleep not five feet away from him, he couldn't help but be thankful that she was facing the other way, and not able to see him staring. _She really is pretty… too much so for me. Argh… what am I thinking? Besides, it's not like she has a boyfriend or anything, right? All I've gotta' do is stick around her long enough for her to see how great a guy I am, and everything will fall into place. Yeah. That's it._

_Dammit!!! Now I'm just kidding myself. Still though, it'd be nice…_

Kendrick's mind began to wander to the night before.

* * *

_Damn it's cold. It's getting harder to fake it too._ Ken and the girl were just leaving Saffron City after having passed through it on their way to Vermilion. The trip had gone as smoothly as Ken had planned, and the only stop they had to make was a quick one back in Celadon. He had been forced to break into his house since his parents were home to nab a couple of sleeping bags he kept in his room.

While there, he made sure to grab his jacket for the girl, as well as a couple more simple outfits he could fit in his bag. Even if he wouldn't need everything, he was pretty sure the girl was wearing everything she owned, and he knew it could get pretty cold at night this time of year.

They had run in almost perfect silence on their way out of Celadon, as they were doing everything they could to not make their presence known as they left. However, Ken couldn't help but notice that the trend had continued their whole journey up till now. _She hasn't said a damn thing all night. We've just been walking. Then again, I haven't exactly started up a conversation either. She doesn't look like she's cold at all either. Maybe I should ask for my jacket back… nah. That wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me, would it? Still, it's cold as hell. And my leg's killing me…_

As they continued down Route 6, it was nearing midnight. "Hey, you feeling tired at all? It's getting late, and I wouldn't want you to catch a cold. We should probably just camp out at the lake up ahead."

"Sure. I was actually ready to crash back before we reached Saffron, but I didn't want to worry you."

"What? That was pretty dumb, no? It doesn't do anybody any good if you're not at a hundred percent. But hey, I appreciate it. We can rest all we want on the ship or in the Sinnoh region. Right now, we've gotta' get on a ship out of here."

"Sinnoh? I thought you said you didn't know where you wanted to go yet. Why there?"

"Yeah, I was thinking on the way here. I've got an uncle who lives in Jubilife City. I figure we could stay with him for a bit, just until… I don't really know what I'll do next." _Wow. I've had hours now to think, and I haven't even thought about that. Damn._

The two reached the lake Ken had mentioned, and he started setting up the sleeping bags. While he rolled them out and unloaded everything he was carrying, he saw the girl walk over to the water and sit down.

After everything was ready, he walked over and joined her. "So, is there something on your mind?"

"Why?"

"Dunno'. You just looked like you were thinking."

"Oh… I was, by the way." She took of her shoes and dipped her feet in the water.

"Umm… isn't the water cold?"

"A little, but I figured it'd help me stay awake."

_Not a bad idea._ Not to be outdone, he followed suit, and rested his feet as well. _Holy… shit… The water's freezing!!!_

"Something wrong?"

"Nothing at all." _Fucking freezing._ Ken took a deep breath. "So, you gonna' tell me what you were thinking about?"

"I could, but I'm not even sure myself."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm trying to remember things. Anything really. The last clear thing I remember was seeing you talking to that woman on the street. Before that… there's really nothing there. Just bits and pieces of what I think are memories."

"So, the first real memory you have is of me? How so? Did you, like, wake up in the city somewhere?"

"Yeah. It was about a block or two away, in a ditch."

"A ditch? Any clue how you got there?"

"No. I'm sorry, I feel like it was important…"

"Hey, don't apologize. It's not your fault. Well, what are those memories about? Maybe if we work on those fragments, we'll figure something out."

"Yeah. Yeah!"

_Awesome, she's feeling better again. I just hope I can really help her._

"Some of the memories, are of… what I can do."

"You mean like that fire crap you pulled back in Celadon? I haven't thanked you yet, have I? You really did save my life back there."

"Oh… I just… thought you needed help."

The girl started blushing, and Ken noticed. _Damn, and here I thought she couldn't get any cuter._

"Well, thanks anyway. So, how exactly… can you… you know… do that stuff?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Well, I can pretty much guarantee you I'll be open to it. Hell, you gave me some real proof, no? Lay it on me."

"I, have more of those, powers. In my memories, I keep hearing myself referred to as an 'Arcanine Type'. You know, like the Pokemon?"

"An Ar… Arcanine. Like the Pokemon. Like the Pokemon?!" Ken's face showed his disbelief and confusion.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"No, I believe you. But, an Arcanine! I mean, come on! What the hell are you talking about?!"

"I told you! I don't know! That's just what they're calling me in my memories."

"Okay, wait a minute. While I'm processing that, answer this. Who's calling you that, in your memories?"

"I… don't know. They look like scientists. Some of them were nice, and other's were upset. They kept calling me Prototype 2.2, and I was hooked up to some machines."

"What kind of machines?"

"I don't know! They were machines! How should I know?!" The girl was frustrated, and looked ready to cry.

"Hey… it's okay." Kendrick moved closer to her and wrapped his arm around her, bringing her close to his chest to comfort her. _Wow… this is my first time touching her. She's really warm… Really warm. Jesus, she's almost on fire! Maybe that's why she doesn't notice how cold it is… Wait. Do I really believe her? I mean, she's obviously not normal, but come on. An Arcanine… girl… thingy? I mean, she kinda' looks like one. A little bit. But that's just a coincidence. She's not that. Her dreams are obviously just a bit scrambled and confused. She's normal. Just a normal… fire-breathing… girl with a bushy tail. Fuck. She's not normal, is she?_

The two sat in complete silence as they stared out into their own respective mental abysses. _Man, it's getting even hotter out here. My feet are burning. Wait… they really are burning!_

Kendrick jumped up to get his feet out of the water as Vesta caught what had happened.

"I'm sorry! I must've lost my focus or something! I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, don't worry about it! I'm used to being boiled alive! Haha… Ha…" _Guess she wasn't lying after all. She really does have some kind of power with fire. And, if I'm gonna' believe that, I may as well just accept the whole Arcanine bit too._ "Hey, so do you remember anything else important?"

They were walking back to their makeshift camp for the night. "Hmm… nothing in particular. Just a bunch of memories of me training."

"Well, do you remember any other people specifically? I'd imagine you didn't train alone all the time…"

The flash of fear across her face was so sudden, Kendrick wasn't even sure if he'd really seen it.

"Nah, can't remember a thing! Come on, it's bedtime!" The girl threw herself into hiding in her bag, leaving Ken to stare and wonder.

"Alright, we really do need some sleep." _Maybe she really doesn't remember… but… I don't really think she's telling me everything. Screw it. She'll tell me if it's important. I trust her enough for that._

As Ken crawled into his bag, he realized he didn't even know the girl's name.

"Hey, you didn't fall asleep that fast, did you?"

"No."

"Can you come out and talk to me?"

"Why?"

"I don't even know your name."

She peeked around the bag and looked at Ken. "My name?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"As far as I know… it's Prototype 2.2."

"What? What the hell kind of a name is that?"

"It's the only thing I can remember being called."

"Wow… okay. Well, what should I call you then?"

"I don't know. What do you want?"

"What? I'm not naming you. Sorry. Not only do I hate picking names, it's just… weird."

"Well, then it doesn't matter, does it?"

"Damn it! I'll call you Ava Gina, since you don't seem to mind."

"Oh yeah! Then I'll call you an asshole!"

"Real clever."

"Asshole." The girl dropped beneath her bag once more till Ken couldn't see her.

"Okay, okay. I get it. I'm sorry."

They both laid there in silence, and time seemed to pass by slower than normal.

_I hope she's not too mad at me. Come on! How does she expect me to do something as stupid as that? Name her… dammit._

"Hey, you still mad at me?"

"Who said I was mad?"

"Fair enough. You obviously are. I've got one."

"One what?"

"A name."

She didn't say anything.

"How about Vesta?"

"Vesta?"

"Yeah. Do you like it?"

"Why that?"

"Dunno'. Guess I just like the sound of it. I think it suits you."

"Hmmm… sounds good enough."

"That's it?!"

"What, did you expect me to jump for joy?"

_Damn her. She's the one who told me to think of one. Whatever._ "Fine. Goodnight. Vesta."

"Goodnight. Ken."

He relaxed his body, looking up at the stars, and didn't even notice that he was falling asleep.

* * *

Vesta couldn't believe how little sleep she actually got last night. _Damn… it's already day. We're going to be leaving soon. I just couldn't stop thinking about if I really did that? Whatever… there's no point worrying now. So, you called me Vesta? Hmmm… not bad. I like it. I wonder though… where did he come up with a name like that? Oh well. Is he awake yet?_

From behind, she could hear Ken getting up and stretching. As he collapsed back onto the floor, she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. _I bet he can't stop watching me… what a loser. Still though, it's kinda' nice to think that he admires me. Maybe I'll play with him for a while. Who knows? He may be worth the effort. Besides… last night was kinda' nice…_

As she continued to feign sleep, her mind wandered to the night before.

* * *

_The fool looks cold… maybe I should give him back his jacket..._

Ken and the girl were just leaving Saffron City after having passed through it on their way to Vermilion. The trip had gone as smoothly as Ken had planned, and the only stop they had to make was a quick one back in Celadon. He had been forced to break into his house since his parents were home to nab a couple of sleeping bags he kept in his room.

While there, he made sure to grab his jacket for the girl, as well as a couple more simple outfits he could fit in his bag. Even if he wouldn't need everything, he was pretty sure the girl was wearing everything she owned, and he knew it could get pretty cold at night this time of year.

_I told him not to. I don't get very cold easily, but "Noooo… it's the polite thing to do." Idiot._

They had run in almost perfect silence on their way out of Celadon, as they were doing everything they could to not make their presence known as they left. However, Vesta couldn't help but notice that the trend had continued their whole journey up till now. _Man, would it kill him to say something? This isn't how you keep a girl company. Nah, he's probably just thinking. I did kinda' drop something big on him earlier. But, I honestly didn't think he was the type to be freaked out too much by it. Maybe I was wrong… or maybe he just doesn't care about me… Damn it! Say something, you moron! Stop thinking about it and ask me!_

As they continued down Route 6, it was nearing midnight.

"Hey, you feeling tired at all? It's getting late, and I wouldn't want you to catch a cold. We should probably just camp out at the lake up ahead."

"Sure. I was actually ready to crash back before we reached Saffron, but I didn't want to worry you."

"What? That was pretty dumb, no? It doesn't do anybody any good if you're not at a hundred percent. But hey, I appreciate it. We can rest all we want in the Sinnoh region. Right now, we've gotta' get on a ship out of here."

"Sinnoh? I thought you said you didn't know where you wanted to go yet. Why there?"

"Yeah, I was thinking on the way here. I've got an uncle who lives in Jubilife City. I figure we could stay with him for a bit, just until… I don't really know what I'll do next."

_What he'll… do next? Not we?_

The two reached the lake Ken had mentioned, and he started setting up the sleeping bags. While he rolled them out and unloaded everything he was carrying, Vesta walked over to the water and sat down.

_I guess I shouldn't be surprised… he doesn't really know me. And it's not like I care about him! Just… I kinda' thought I'd be going with him other places for a while. Idiot! Does he even care about what'll happen to me?_ "He's just scared." _Of what?_ "Of girls." _Really?_ "Yeah! He didn't talk to me the whole way here." _That's not scared… that's shy._ "Same thing." _Maybe. But what if he was scared of… you._ "Why me?" _You're not normal…_

After he'd finished setting up, he walked over and joined her.

_Crap, he's coming over._

"So, is there something on your mind?"

"Why?"

"Dunno'. You just looked like you were thinking."

"Oh… I was, by the way." She took of her shoes and dipped her feet in the water.

"Umm… isn't the water cold?"

"A little, but I figured it'd help me stay awake."

Not to be outdone, he followed suit, and rested his feet as well.

_Idiot._ "Something wrong?"

"Nothing at all."

_Liar. Still, he's kinda' cute…_

Ken took a deep breath. "So, you gonna' tell me what you were thinking about?"

_No! Not on your life! But… he needs something. Argh… think of something! Aha!_ "I could, but I'm not even sure myself."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm trying to remember things. Anything really. The last clear thing I remember was seeing you talking to that woman on the street. Before that… there's really nothing there. Just bits and pieces of what I think are memories."

"So, the first real memory you have is of me? How so? Did you, like, wake up in the city somewhere?"

_Wow, I came up with an escape pretty fast…_ "Yeah. It was about a block or two away, in a ditch."

"A ditch? Any clue how you got there?"

_How did I get there? I can't even remember where I live… or what my name is… anything at all. Damn, he's trying to help and I can't remember a thing!_ "No. I'm sorry, I feel like it was important…"

"Hey, don't apologize. It's not your fault. Well, what are those memories about? Maybe if we work on those fragments, we'll figure something out."

_Wow… he's really trying to help me. Maybe he wasn't as scared as I thought. Maybe I was right about him… Still though, if he can help, why not give it a shot? Then, maybe I'll find out some more about him…_ "Yeah. Yeah!"

_Well, since he seems to be able to take it… I might as well tell him the truth._

"Some of the memories, are of… what I can do."

"You mean like that fire crap you pulled back in Celadon? I haven't thanked you yet, have I? You really did save my life back there."

_His life? I… guess I did… I just didn't want him getting hurt. Especially after he tried so hard to save me… Wait. He saved me. He risked himself for… me._ "Oh… I just… thought you needed help."

The girl started blushing, and silently prayed Ken couldn't see very well in the dark.

"Well, thanks anyway. So, how exactly… can you… you know… do that stuff?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Well, I can pretty much guarantee you I'll be open to it. Hell, you gave me some real proof, no? Lay it on me."

"I, have more of those, powers. In my memories, I keep hearing myself referred to as an 'Arcanine Type'. You know, like the Pokemon?"

"An Ar… Arcanine. Like the Pokemon. Like the Pokemon?!" Ken's face showed his disbelief and confusion.

"You don't believe me, do you?" _I knew it._

"No, I believe you. But, an Arcanine! I mean, come on! What the hell are you talking about?!"

"I told you! I don't know! That's just what they're calling me in my memories."

"Okay, wait a minute. While I'm processing that, answer this. Who's calling you that, in your memories?"

"I… don't know. They look like scientists. Some of them were nice, and other's were upset. They kept calling me Prototype 2.2, and I was hooked up to some machines."

"What kind of machines?"

"I don't know! They were machines! How should I know?!" The girl was frustrated, and looked ready to cry.

"Hey… it's okay." Kendrick moved closer to her and wrapped his arm around her, bringing her close to his chest to comfort her.

_Why? Why can't I remember anything? And why did I let him touch me?! I mean, it's not that I'm mad about it… or… I'm not happy… I… I mean, why does it matter? He's just consoling me in my time of need. That's all. Just helping out a person in trouble. But… why does he feel so warm? It's like he's just as hot as I am. Weird… And why do I feel so happy…?_

The two sat in complete silence as they stared out into their own respective mental abysses.

Suddenly, Kendrick leapt out of the water, and the girl, startled, realized what she'd done.

_Shit! I was cooking the water!_ "I'm sorry! I must've lost my focus or something! I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, don't worry about it! I'm used to being boiled alive! Haha… Ha…"

_Idiot. But he's still trying to act tough. I wonder why? It's almost like he's afraid to let his guard down… but why?_

"Hey, so do you remember anything else important?"

They were walking back to their makeshift camp for the night. "Hmm… nothing in particular. Just a bunch of memories of me training."

"Well, do you remember any other people specifically? I'd imagine you didn't train alone all the time…"

_Him! That guy! In the forest… he said he was "going to bring me back in for a final observation". Then… everything was burning… No!_ "Nah, can't remember a thing! Come on, it's bedtime!" The girl threw herself into hiding in her bag, leaving Ken to stare and wonder.

"Alright, we really do need some sleep."

_No… it can't be… The fire, was that me?! Did I kill all those Pokemon?! It had to be… it was only him and I. The man with skin like a Golem's… I have fire. It had to be me. I can't tell him that. Ever. I can't tell him I was responsible for something like that._

"Hey, you didn't fall asleep that fast, did you?"

_Why didn't you just go to sleep?_ "No."

"Can you come out and talk to me?"

"Why?"

"I don't even know your name."

_I don't have one._ She peeked around the bag and looked at Ken. "My name?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"As far as I know… it's Prototype 2.2."

"What? What the hell kind of a name is that?"

"It's the only thing I can remember being called."

"Wow… okay. Well, what should I call you then?"

"I don't know. What do you want?"

"What? I'm not naming you. Sorry. Not only do I hate picking names, it's just… weird."

"Well, then it doesn't matter, does it?"

"Damn it! I'll call you Ava Gina, since you don't seem to mind."

_Ava Gina? Ava… Gina… A vagi… Damn him!_ "Oh yeah! Then I'll call you an asshole!"

"Real clever."

"Asshole." She dropped beneath her bag once more till Ken couldn't see her.

"Okay, okay. I get it. I'm sorry."

_Why won't he just think up a name? It'd be kinda' neat. A name that's just for us… What am I saying?! Us?! Damn him!_

They both laid there in silence, and time seemed to pass by slower than normal.

_Did he just go to sleep and forget about me?!_

"Hey, you still mad at me?"

"Who said I was mad?"

"Fair enough. You obviously are. I've got one."

"One what?"

"A name."

She didn't say anything.

"How about Vesta?"

_Vesta?_ "Vesta?"

"Yeah. Do you like it?"

"Why that?"

"Dunno'. Guess I just like the sound of it. I think it suits you."

"Hmmm…" _It does sound kinda' nice. I wonder why he chose it? Still though… I like it!_ "Sounds good enough."

"That's it?!"

"What, did you expect me to jump for joy?"

"Fine. Goodnight. Vesta."

_Haha… I probably made him mad… Sorry. I really do like the name._ "Goodnight. Ken."

As Vesta crawled back under her bag's covers, she felt a growing unease in her stomach. _I really did kill those Pokemon, didn't I? But why? Why would I do that? And why can't I remember?! Damn… this is going to be a long night…_

* * *

Vesta began to stir in her bag, preparing to get up, and Ken rolled to his other side to avoid eye contact.

"If you're done staring at me, shouldn't we get going?"

_No way. She's bluffing._ "Who's staring at you? I'm perfectly fine without a girlfriend, thank you."

Vesta rolled over to face him. "Oh? Girlfriend? I see you've been thinking dirty thoughts about me… perv. Don't get ahead of yourself. Besides, you're not my type."

_Bitchy…_ "Don't worry, you're not on my mind. You're not my type either."

"And why not?! What exactly is your type, Mr. Hotshot?"

"What does it matter?! If I'm not your type, don't worry about it."

"What type of girl do you like?!"

"Don't worry about it!"

"What's your favorite type?!"

"The fire type." _Shit… I didn't just say that…_

"You know what I meant! What type of… wait a minute. Fire type? Do you mean… like me? Ha! How cute!" She crawled over to his sleeping bag and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "So, I'm your type, eh?"

"You mind letting go of me?"

"Why? Uncomfortable? Nah, don't be. It's called 'from behind hugging'. A gentler form of rape."

"Oh, well that makes it better." _Nice._

"So, answer the question. Am I your type?"

"As if."

"Then why would you say something like that? Hmmm?"

_You're mighty full of yourself this morning. Let's see if I can't change that._ "I was merely remembering something a friend of mine once said."

"Which was?"

"Apparently, there's nothing greater in life than taking a Ninetails from behind."

"Oh… really?"

"Yeah, really." _What's the matter? Jealous?_

"Well, he obviously never had an Arcanine. Those foxes are cute and all, but an Arcanine plays rough. I mean, think about it. Have you ever heard of a fox-style? No. Now, everybody knows about doggy-style… get the picture?"

_Holy… crap…_ "Yes. Yes I do." Ken could feel his cheeks burning.

He rolled over to look at Vesta, and wasn't very surprised to see her blushing even harder. The silence was so awkward it would've made the deaf uncomfortable. They locked eyes and didn't look away for several minutes. Finally, Vesta broke the silence.

"What the hell did I just say?!"

"I believe it was something along the lines of…"

"I know what I said! Just, forget it."

Ken could feel the tension, and rather than jeopardize his chances with her, he figured it'd be better to change the subject.

"Hey, we should probably get going. If you wanted to change, I've got some spare clothes. They probably won't fit quite right, but they're better than nothing. Actually, now that I think about it…"

"Perv. Sure, I'll wear them. You think we'll be able to clean our clothes on the ship?"

"Yeah, the ship we'll be taking will. It's designed for cruises. Think of a hotel, but on water."

"Cool." She reached into his bag and grabbed a plain black T-shirt and sweatpants. "No peeking now."

With a wink, Vesta disappeared behind the tree line, and Ken fought the urge to mess with her one last time. _It'd be funny, but then she'd never shut up about it…_

Ken started changing in their makeshift camp, and let out his pokemon. Luxio performed his usual stretching routine before curling up on the ground to sleep some more. Eevee, however, was another story. The little pokemon was bouncing off of everything, jumping in place, and running in circles in the open space. _Yikes… it has been almost two days since Eevee got let out… I'll leave it alone for a while. It'll tire itself out._

Vesta called out from behind the trees. "Hey, Ken. I meant to ask you something."

"What?"

"Where'd you meet Shinx? Or… Luxio… whatever his name is."

"Just call him Luxio now. And he was given to me."

"By?"

"My uncle."

"The one we're going to go meet in Jubilife?"

"Yeah."

"Oh… Is your uncle a trainer?"

"Nah, he's a fan though. I send him a message every time I win a fight. Actually, the last time I talked to him, he told me I should come by one day. Apparently, he had something about battling I'd be interested in."

"Yeah? Something to look forward to, huh?"

Ken still hadn't put his shirt on as Vesta came back out into the clearing. He rushed to throw it on, but she had caught a good enough glimpse before he could.

"Umm… what was that?"

"What was what?"

"Those marks, on your chest."

"Oh… nothing. It doesn't matter."

Before she could respond, Eevee jumped from behind onto her shoulders and began to nuzzle into her neck.

"Wow! Is this one yours?!"

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't introduce you two yet. Eevee, this is Vesta, she'll be travelling with us for a while. Vesta, this little ball of fur is Eevee. She's 50% of my pokemon team right now, so she's kinda' important to me."

"She's so cute!" Eevee squealed in delight as Vesta grabbed her and pulled her closer to her body.

"Hey now, don't let her cute demeanor fool you. She's a part of my Shock and Awe team."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Shock and Awe. Luxio is Shock and Eevee is Awe. It also serves as a pun, in a way. You know? 'Awe' and 'Awww'? It's what most people say when they see Eevee."

"That's one of the lamest things I've ever heard!"

"Screw you! It's cool!"

"Lame."

"Cool."

"Double lame."

"Triple cool."

"Infinity lame."

"Infinity's not a real number."

"Fine then. A billion times lame."

Ken let out a sigh and a small chuckle. "Zillion, trillion, jillion times cool. Game, set, and match." He pumped his fist into the air while exclaiming his victory with a pleased grunt.

"Whatever… loser."

"You're just mad that you lost."

"Sure."

The two fell to the ground on their backs and laughed for a good minute. An observer wouldn't have thought they were older than 12.

"So, why Eevee?"

"I'll answer your question if you'll answer mine."

"What? Okay, fine. Me first though."

"Okay. Well, there was a man who didn't want to take care of her anymore, and I offered to take her off of his hands."

"He just gave it away to you?"

"Yep. That was about a month ago. She's not well trained yet, but she'll get better."

"But why Eevee?"

"Because it's one of those foxes you love so much."

"Screw you."

"Haha… but seriously, I don't know. I just think Eevee's are cool."

"That's it?"

"Yeah. Some things are just better off simple. Now, my question…"

"What is it?"

"Why did you decide to follow me?"

She was silent as she stared at him, trying to figure out what to say. _Come on, just tell me. I want to know. This is almost too weird. Most girls won't give me the time of day, and she just starts following me? Why?_

"Hmmm… maybe… some things are just better off simple."

"Wow… that's not very fair."

"Maybe not, but that's the only answer you get today."

_Damn it._ "Oh well, let's get going. We've got a ship to catch."

He threw everything into his bag, recalled his pokemon, and the two began to set off for Vermilion.

_Man, this is gonna' be a long trip… Wait a minute. Something's not right here…_

"Uh, Vesta… how come I can see your tail?"

"What? Oh, I didn't like how it felt all tied down under these pants, so I made a hole for it."

"Those are my pants! You can't just tear them because you feel like it!"

"Too bad! You gave them to me!"

"Yeah but… Damn."

"Sorry."

Ken let out a sigh. "Don't worry about it. Hell, it's kinda' cute. At any rate, you've gotta' change again."

"How come?"

"I don't know, maybe because YOU HAVE A TAIL? Why don't you take a guess?"

"Fine. But we better hurry up then. I'm not staying like this all day."

_This… is going to be a very… very… very long trip._


	3. Chapter 3 All Aboard

Chapter 3 – All Aboard

Author's Note: I really hope this one turns out as good for you as it did me. I really like it, and I hope you do too.

And remember, all comments and criticism are greatly appreciated.

Also, I know I ended it with such a confusing ending... but there are some things which will take more time to explain. So, you get a cliffhanger.

Enjoy!

* * *

"**I'm Mentok! The mind-taker!" – Mentok the Mind-Taker**

"Come on! This is our last chance!"

The captain's face was ready to pop a blood vessel with the intensity the man had. Kendrick stood doubled over, gasping for breath with the other men and pokemon, a whole half a foot shorter, and about 50 pounds lighter than any of them.

"What we've been fighting for… all of it, comes down to this last chance!"

Kendrick couldn't take waiting any more. "Guys, they won't be expecting me, and they have no clue how fast I am. Give it to me. All I need is a good-sized window, and I'll run like hell. C'mon! I can do this!"

"Kid, while I appreciate the effort, there's some things you've gotta' leave to us. Whether they expect you or not, they will stop you. Sorry."

"Let 'em try! If they think I'll go down easy, they better think again!"

The sailor looked around at the ragged group, some covered in mud, other's covered in their own blood, and every one of the other sailors and their Pokemon seemed to agree. "Alright Kid! Let's see what you've got! You heard him boys! Let's give him the hole he needs!"

They all turned in unison, and took their places in front of their foes. Kendrick's team lined up with two sailors spread wide on either side of the formation, four Machoke and two sailors in the middle, the captain taking his place right behind them, and Ken settling down behind another sailor who'd take him as far as he could.

As he leaned to the side to spit out the sweat that was gathering around his mouth, he tried to tune out the enemies' jeers.

"Hey guys! Look what they're trying!"

"Hey, Shrimp! You think you got what it takes?!"

"Oh shit! The pipsqueak looks like he means business! How about we teach the boy not to play with the men?"

"Hey, Kid! Me and my Machoke are gonna' beat your ass through the ground! Better watch yourself."

Ken felt a little bit of fear growing in him as he saw the Machoke pounding his fists into the ground with enough force to break walls.

The sailor in front of him leaned back to check on him one last time. "You still feeling up to this?"

"Hell yeah! They're nothing!" _Nothing but physical freaks…_

"Haha… okay kid. I've got your back."

I sure as hell hope so…

The ball was snapped before Ken knew it, and both teams' linemen slammed into each other.

The captain handed Ken the ball, and he trailed his blocker through the middle of the line. As he passed through the wall, he felt someone grab his arm to rip it off, only to slip away as he was pancaked by one of his team's Machoke. The sailor who made the threat before the snap made to crush Ken, only to run into the sailor leading Ken through. With no one left to stop him, Ken turned on the jets, and ran as fast as he could to the endzone.

He didn't even see the Machoke coming.

The next thing he knew, Ken was laying on his back with a Machoke getting off of him. As he rolled and struggled to get on his feet, he could hear the other sailors and small crowd watching the game laughing at him. He limped back to the huddle and took his place, wincing with each movement.

The captain's smug face screamed "Told you so."

"Kid, I tried to warn you. How'd it feel?"

"Like a fucking bus."

"Ahahaha! Alright guys, we've only got 3 downs left…"

"Wait! Let me try again!"

"Kid, no way. That last hit you took hurt me."

"Look, I just didn't see him. I won't let it happen again."

The captain stared for a moment into Kendrick's eyes, and seemed satisfied with what he saw.

"Alright! You heard him again! Let's try it one more time!"

As they lined up again, Ken successfully tuned out the jeering. _C'mon Kendrick! Stay focused. When that damn Machoke gets to you, what're you gonna' do…?_

His thoughts were interrupted as the ball was snapped, and the play unfolded almost the exact same way.

This time, Kendrick saw the Machoke coming, and made the first move he thought of.

In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best idea he'd had all day. As the Machoke came forward to level him, Ken lowered his shoulders as well, and the two collided.

For the second time in a row, Ken found himself on his back in a daze. The Machoke was now flexing its muscles to further display his dominance. As he limped back again, he now had to pray that the shoulder wasn't broken.

The captain was a little more serious now. "So, Kid. What now? You want to try it again?"

Why? I'm just getting killed. "Why?"

"Dunno'. Guess I just figured that last hit wouldn't be enough to stop you."

"Liar."

"Haha… you're right. But the way I see it, you're fucked now. We stop giving you the ball; you look like a bitch, eh? But if we do give you the ball, you'll get crushed. You sure dug a nasty hole for yourself, huh?"

"Shut up. I don't need your pity."

"You're not getting any. What you are getting, is the ball. Line up boys."

As they lined up for the third time, Kendrick couldn't keep his mind on the play.

_What the hell is his problem? They'll just be pissed if we don't win… so why keep giving it to me?! Is he trying to rub it in? Fuck it. I'll show him. I'm going to win this._

"Hey, Kid." His fullback had turned around to talk to him. "You hear that? Your girl's cheering for you."

"What?" He turned his head to look at Vesta sitting on the wall near their field, and sure enough, she was making one hell of a racket.

"Ken! Whoop his ass, Ken! He's nothing! Go Ken Go! Go Ken Go!"

_She looks like an idiot…_ Ken's face broke into a wide smile.

The ball was snapped, and the play worked out almost the exact same way for the third time in a row. This time, Ken didn't even hesitate. As the Machoke made for him again, he blasted into it as hard as he could.

This time, it was Ken getting up first, and rolling off of the dazed Machoke. All of his pains didn't seem to bother him anymore as he jogged back to the huddle with a dumb grin on his face.

The captain's demeanor wasn't as cheerful as the rest of the team's. "Congratulations, Kid. You sure fucked him up, eh?"

"Thanks."

"Yeah, that's cool and all… but guess what else you did?"

"Uh…"

"You fucked us over too. We're on our last down, and we're still nowhere near scoring."

_Shit. Why was I so happy? I didn't do a damn thing…_

"So, Kid. How are we gonna' fix that?"

"We're going to win. That's how I'll fix that."

"Kid, with that attitude, we won't win shit."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You, won't fix a damn thing."

_What? Why can't I?_

"Emphasis on the 'you', Kid."

"What… oh. I get it. Then how about this: Put me at fullback, and give me the ball. I'll help us win. Emphasis on the 'help'."

"Haha… About time. I was beginning to wonder which is more important to you. Glad to see I was right. You've got good eyes Kid."

"What the hell are you talking about, Old Man?"

"I'll tell you if we win."

As they lined up for the fourth time, Ken now switched places with his fullback, and explained his plan to him while everyone got set.

The ball was snapped for the fourth and final time, and the captain stuck the ball into Ken's chest. Now, instead of having his blocker to lead him, Ken had to find a way through both the sailor who threatened him and his Machoke. He broke for the gap in between the two, and braced himself as they closed the hole fast. Everyone on the field stopped playing and watched to see the imminent collision. Yet again, Ken lowered his shoulders, and slammed into the two linebackers… only to get flattened. As his back hit the ground hard, Ken burst out laughing.

"Play-action, Motherfuckers! Hell yeah!"

As the linebackers got up, they saw what had happened. After Ken had faked receiving the handoff, and simultaneously drew the attention of the entire defense, the captain handed the ball to the fullback turned running back, who proceeded to jog his way into the endzone.

* * *

Everyone made their way to the sidelines and picked up their stuff, shaking hands before leaving, laughing and joking with each other about various things, like the pick-up game hadn't happened. The sailors' breaks were over, and it was time to prepare the ships to leave port. Even the Machoke and his trainer who had blasted Ken came up to shake his hand before leaving, to show there was no hard feelings.

Ken walked over to where the captain was sitting. "Hey Kid. Good choice."

"What'd you mean by that?"

"Okay, listen up and listen good. Pride is important in a man's life. To some men, it's everything. But what would've happened if you'd chosen pride for that last play?"

"What do you mean? Like, if I had wanted to run it again?"

"Yeah, to prove you could do it."

"Well…" _We probably would've lost…_

"Whether you'll admit it or not, we would've lost. But, you chose the other option you had. You chose to succeed over building your pride. You chose to help out your teammates instead of helping out yourself."

"Not really… I just wanted to win."

"Either way, you gave up your body to let the team win, no?"

"I guess…"

"Come on son! Show some confidence! Not many people would've made that choice. Most young punks would've tried it again and again. In my opinion, it's the better man who will do whatever it takes to succeed, not the one who succeeds in whatever he does. You get it?"

"Yeah. I get it. Thanks."

"Sure thing, Kid. Well, you better get back to your room on the ship and take a damn shower. You're dirty as hell from all that time you spent on the ground!"

"Screw you."

The captain's laugh was weak from fatigue, and Ken found himself wondering how old the guy really was.

"Hey, Old Man. There's something else I wanted to ask you. Why didn't you just take over the game? Why keep giving me a shot?"

"Haha… Kid, that's something I can't really well explain. I'm older now. When I was your age, you damn well better believe I would've. But now… I guess… sometimes, you've gotta' know when it's time to help others."

"Help? Me? Now I know you're senile."

"I know, I know. It's hard to explain. But, you'll see. One day, I know you'll be the kind of man to make others better."

"But… dammit. I've seen you play before! You could've kicked ass today! You're not too old yet!"

"Haha… yeah, I could've. And you can bet my crew knew that. But let me ask you this: What would that have accomplished? I stopped choosing pride a long time ago, Kid. You'll see one day. I've known that since your parents first introduced their son to me. Even at 10, I had a feeling about you."

"Yep, definitely senile."

"Haha… fine. I'll shut up. Just promise me that you'll be good. What most people don't realize is that evil men are just as great as good men. The only difference is what they believe in."

Before Kendrick could ask him what he meant, he was blindsided and knocked off of the bench by Vesta. Once again, Ken was on the ground.

"Get off of me! What the hell's the matter with you?!"

"How hard did I hit?! As tough as that mean-old Machoke?!"

"Shut up."

"Hah! So, is that a yes?"

"No, it's a 'Get the hell off of me.'"

"Fine then. See if I'm ever on top of you again."

"Oh, haha… Very funny."

"I'm just saying… someone as perverted as you won't get too many more chances."

"And since when am I perverted?!"

"Hmmm… I believe it was… since I said so."

"I give up."

"It's for the best. You won't win."

As Ken rolled out from under her, he noticed the captain was laughing. "What's so funny, Old Man?"

"You two."

"Whatever."

The captain picked up all of his belongings and got ready to leave. "Well, I'll see you guys later. Remember, Kid. My ship's leaving in four hours. Why don't you take your girl around town? There's some nice stores around here… just go hang out for a while. Trust me, nobody wants to spend all their time on a ship."

"Umm… I'm not his girl."

"Yeah, she's not my girl."

"Eh? You two aren't…? Could've fooled me!"

Ken laughed awkwardly as Vesta faced the other direction. Neither one realized just how red their faces were.

"Well, at any rate, I'll see you two later!"

"Later, Old Man."

Ken and Vesta were quiet for a moment after the captain had left, and Ken finished grabbing all of his belongings. Vesta spoke first.

"I am soooo not your girl."

"Fine by me! Let's go, I need to shower."

"How come?"

"What the hell do you mean? I'm covered in sweat and dirt."

"Yeah, you also need to shave, but that's not important right now. I'm kinda' liking the rugged look." She looked away as she finished the sentence.

_Eh? She got pretty quiet fast… almost like she meant it._ "Whatever. Since when should I care what you think about the way I look?"

"Umm… I guess you shouldn't! Especially because I'm soooo not your girl!"

_Yeah, you said it best. You're "soooo" not my girl. Damn my luck._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
_

About an hour or so later, Ken and Vesta were cleaned up and walking around town.

_Alright. Got about two or three hours before we've gotta' leave. Just one problem… where the hell should we go?_

The two had been walking aimlessly around town for almost 15 minutes already, and they still hadn't decided on a destination.

_Still though… it's kinda' nice. Just walking together. It's almost like a date… Arrghh! What the hell am I thinking?_

"Hey, Vesta?"

"Mmmm… yeah?"

She smiled as she faced him, and Ken almost couldn't believe how happy she looked. _Holy crap… Bright sun, bright smile, bright light blond hair… She's so damn cute…_

"Uh… Oh yeah. I had a question to ask again."

"Wait! Before you ask, remember this: By asking me a question, you're giving me permission to ask a question of my own. Got it?"

"Umm… sure? Okay, my question, since you didn't answer it before. Why the hell did you start following me?"

"Ugh… this again? Let me see…"

"What's there to see? Just answer the question!"

"I'm trying to see whether or not you deserve to hear the answer."

"What the hell?!"

"And you sure aren't acting like someone who wants to know, huh? Well… I guess… it's hard to explain."

"Try me. We've got some time to kill."

"Have you ever just thought something was a good idea, but don't really know why you thought that?"

"What, like done something your gut told you to?"

"Kinda', but it's a little different than just acting on your instinct like that."

"How so?"

"I guess you could say… I saw you talking with that policewoman, and I knew you could help me."

"Help you… how?"

"I didn't… don't… know. I think it has something to do with who I am… but I wasn't really thinking about that when I saw you. I just…" Her face flushed as she became more flustered. "You know what? Let's not worry about it, okay?"

_Alright… fine. That's a good enough answer, I guess._

"So, now you have to answer my question."

"Sure. Bring it on."

"Why do some animals howl at the moon?"

"What the hell kind of question is that?"

"I dunno'. I just was kinda' curious, that's all."

"Well, I don't really know myself. What brought that up?"

"Something I remembered earlier. I once saw an Arcanine standing on some rocks one night, just howling at the moon. It almost sounded… lonely."

"Wow… that must've been pretty cool. I guess it's just different for whoever's doing it. It may have been lonely, but it could've been other stuff too. It could've been calling out to another. Or it could even have been sad, and shouted its frustration into the sky. In a sense, the moon makes a good target."

"Hmmm… so you think an animal can howl for different reasons?"

"Sure. Anybody can do anything for whatever reason they want."

"What if you're told to do something?"

"Well… once more, you should always be able to make your own decisions. Unless it's something trivial like asking someone to move out of your way, or something that's common sense like not killing people. As for how you do things in life though… that's really up to the individual."

"And you? How do you live your life?"

"Wow… that's pretty deep. I suppose, I live my life pretty casually. Sure, I may miss out on some stuff that others will experience through their efforts, but you'd have some trouble finding someone who enjoys life as much as me."

"Yeah… life is precious, huh?" Her face reflected her depressed tone.

"Hey, what's the matter? You seem sad."

"Oh, don't worry. I was just wondering about stuff. So, if you could howl, what would you howl for?"

"Me? I… don't really know. Never really had a reason to do something like that. What about you? Wait, can you howl? You know, because you're… you know."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing! I was just curious!"

"Well… I actually can, but I don't really have a reason to either."

"Wow… cool."

"God, you're such an idiot."

Ken stuck his tongue out at her. "Nyah!"

She responded with one of her own. "Nyah!"

Each of them seemed to be laughing harder than the other as they continued around town.

"Hey, Ken! Since you don't seem to care where we go, let's go find me some new clothes!"

"Hey! That sounds like a really lame idea!"

"Asshole. C'mon! If we don't, I'll just keep wearing your stuff. And if I'm gonna' keep wearing your clothes, I'm cutting tail-holes in every single damn pair of pants you own."

"Well then, it seems you'd be going naked, because there's no way in hell you're doing that."

"Come on! Fine, you don't even have to go with me."

"Go on."

"Just… give me your wallet. I'll find clothes on my own."

"Wait, you were planning on using my money for said clothes?! Hell no!"

"Why not?"

Ken let out a long, very exasperated sigh.

"Okay. So, how many outfits are you going to get me?"

"I didn't say I was getting you any."

"But you know you will. So, can I get two?"

He stared at her as she pleaded with her eyes. "Fine. Just… don't ask me for advice or anything. I'm not into fashion. At all."

"Yay! Come on! It'll be fun!"

"I highly doubt that."

* * *

Two massive headaches later, Kendrick was finally done helping Vesta find what she wanted.

"I still don't understand why you wanted my help at all if I wasn't gonna' be able to help you find everything."

"I don't care what you think, you are NOT helping me pick out underwear!"

"Whatever."

They were walking back to checkout, when Vesta suddenly disappeared from Ken's side. When he turned to find her, he couldn't help but dread what her mischievous smile foreshadowed. She was standing in the middle of the holiday decorations, and had something in her hands.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Don't worry about it. Hey, call out Luxio."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Fine."

Ken released Luxio as he was told, and Vesta walked over to him, preparing to tie a red bow around his neck.

"Oh, this'll be great." Ken's face was lit up like a kid in a candy store.

"What?"

"Nothing. Continue."

The moment her hand touched Luxio's fur, she jumped back and waved her hand like it was on fire.

"What the hell was that?!"

Ken was doubled over with laughter now. "What's what?"

"He attacked me!"

"Haha… not quite. It's a Luxio, remember? He's fur is charged with electricity. Anybody who touches him is in for a… shock, one could say." Ken was smiling at his own pun.

"Not funny."

"Come on! That's comic gold!"

"How come you can touch him then?"

"Oh, that's because I just got used to it." He started scratching the young lion behind his ears, and Luxio loved it. "Sure, I feel it, but it's not strong enough to stop me. Kinda' numbing though. That's one of the weirder things about it."

She stared at him, dumbfounded, as he continued to pet an electrical socket.

"If you wanna' pet him, go ahead. It's really not so bad once you expect it. You could say it's less of a hazard, and more of a shock."

"Quit with the damn puns!"

"Okay, okay, I'll stop. So, you wanna' pet him?"

"Sure."

She knelt down next to Ken and Luxio, and grabbed his fur without hesitation. After realizing it wasn't too bad, she started grinning and rubbed Luxio under the chin, much to his satisfaction. She stopped smiling when she saw Ken laughing.

"What's so damn funny?"

"Haha! Your hair!"

Her normally full and shoulder-length hair was no longer the way she liked it. Each strand seemed to be shooting straight outwards from the electricity. She cried out when she saw it, and after letting go of Luxio, it fell back into place.

Ken couldn't stop laughing now. "That was so… badass!"

"That's not funny at all!"

"Yes… Yes it is!" He was quickly becoming hysterical. "Hey… hey… grab Luxio again."

"Why?!"

"Come on, just do it!"

She obliged as he began to calm down, and her hair shot up again. "Now what?"

"Okay… now… I've gotta' see your tail like this!"

"You jerk! No!"

"Come on! You know you're curious too!"

She looked around the aisles they were in, and upon deciding they were alone, pulled her tail over the top of the sweatpants she was wearing. Sure enough, her normally large and bushy tail was as frizzy as her hair. Ken's laughter returned, this time twofold, and Vesta joined in this time.

They finally began to calm down after a good ten minutes, and Ken returned Luxio to his ball. They were getting off the floor, still laughing, when both jumped three feet at the sound of a girl's voice behind them.

"Well, well… Look who couldn't stay away from me after all."

Ken's face turned grim with a sarcastic smile. "Really now? Seriously, you flatter yourself far too much."

Vesta, now behind Ken, peeked sheepishly around him as she surveyed the woman facing him. The first thing she noticed was the woman's stature, and she leapt out from behind Ken and lifted her off of the ground with a hug.

"Ken, do you know her? She's so tiny… and cute! What's your name?"

Ken burst out with laughter. "Haha… she is, isn't she? And bitchy to boot. Then again, the smaller the dog, the more they bark…"

"True, true. But I should warn you, that it's the larger dogs that bite the hardest…"

_Kinky._ "You know, I'm gonna' have to hold you to that one day."

"Perv."

Their laughter resumed again, and they kept laughing on, oblivious to the seething rage of the shorter woman.

"What the hell are you doing in Vermilion this time Ken?!" Vesta, startled by the outburst, set the woman down and backed away to Ken's side.

"Slow down, aren't you gonna' introduce yourself? Vesta, this is Jessica, my bitchy ex-girlfriend. Only ex-girlfriend, for that matter. And Jess, this thing that was holding you, is Vesta."

Vesta rose her hand timidly, and gave a small wave. "Hello." She leaned closer to Ken and whispered in his ear. "This girl's kinda' scary… like she's really mad about something. 'The hell'd you do to her?"

"Nothing I can recall… but I wouldn't be surprised if I did. I have that effect on her."

Jessica was growing more impatient, and began to tap her foot rapidly. "Are you going to answer my question, or whisper sweet nothings to your new girlfriend some more?"

"Umm… Not his girlfriend. Why does everybody keep making that assumption?"

"Vesta! Be quiet! You'll only feed the demon's wrath more!"

"Real cute you two. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hmmm… would you believe I'm running away from home?"

"I'd believe it more if you were kicked out. How come?"

"Would you believe it's because I killed a man?"

"Okay, I'm done here. Same old Kendrick it seems."

Vesta piped up. "What's that mean? How is he?"

"He'll never change. Any time you try to get honesty from him, he covers it up with his lame attempts at humor. Always asking questions… never answering them."

"Can we stop talking about me?"

"Well Ken, she does have a point. Your humor is pretty lame most of the time."

"Well gee, thanks for the compliment."

"See? There you go again. And you… Vista?"

"Umm… it's Vesta."

"Whatever. You're just as bad as he is, apparently. There'll come a time when life will force him to be more serious… when his jokes will stop saving him. And when that happens, he'll crash and burn, like he should've a long time ago."

"Maybe… but if he was supposed to 'crash and burn' so long ago… how come he hasn't?"

"He's gotten lucky. Most people don't get a second chance. He's gotten several."

"How so?"

"If it wasn't for how bad he has Jenny on his side, he would've been thrown in jail long ago. But nope. And because he never got in trouble, he kept looking for it. How many times did you tell me you didn't start it Kendrick? And yet, you were always in the middle of it, huh?"

"What if he didn't start them?"

"Then he shouldn't have been in them. And then you got your damn Shinx, and you spent all of your time battling. I sure took a backseat fast, didn't I? Pretty weird how you did that so easily. We both know I'm the only girl who ever said 'Yes' to you. No real shock why anymore. You only care about yourself. I wouldn't be surprised if I was the last too. Any more questions for me, Ma'am? How about why we broke up? I'll tell you that one too. We were on one of our rare dates. I was actually happy to finally get to spend some time with him again. The night was great… the weather was perfect… we went everywhere I wanted, and he actually was the guy I originally liked for the whole night. But hey, joke was on me. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, it sure didn't. As we were sitting together in the park, just talking, he suddenly jumped up off of the bench and told me he had to go. I started to ask why, and all I got was 'Go home now!'. Then, he was gone. Just like that. I had to walk myself home, with all of my stuff, in the darkness, all alone. Yeah… I guess you could say I was pissed. Then, it gets better. It turns out, he left me to go fight someone. He shows up at my job the next day, apologizing, and giving me this bullshit story about how these 'two guys were being attacked by 5 with weapons, and I had to go help them'. Nobody else in the town seemed to hear anything about this though. Of course they wouldn't. So, I spent nearly 20 embarrassing minutes at work trying to shut him up and tell him I didn't believe him. Then the best part: He tells me he can prove it. He lifted up his shirt while everybody I worked with and all those customers were watching, and showed me these disgusting cuts he had all over his chest, some of which were still bleeding since he had tried bandaging them up himself. And as if that wasn't bad enough, prominently displayed on his chest, spelled out with cuts, were the words 'Pussy Ass Bitch'. Needless to say, I was fired the next day, and asked my family to move. So here I am, living in Vermilion, and trying so desperately to figure out why the hell he's still here."

Vesta was silent now. The three of them stood there a moment, deathly quiet. Ken spoke first. "So, are you done now?"

"Yeah, I think I am."

"Good. Now please… Fuck off."

"What'd you say?!"

"I said… fuck off. We're done talking." Kendrick's face was unwavering in its anger.

"What? I hit a button? Screw you too."

Jessica made to leave, but stopped when Vesta opened her mouth. "I… I don't think he ever meant to get you in troub…" She stopped mid-sentence as Kendrick interrupted her.

"Stop. It doesn't matter now. She didn't believe me then. She won't believe me now. And I've stopped caring.

"You've… stopped caring?"

"Yeah. And that's not something I do very easily."

Jessica resumed walking, and was nearly out of sight before Kendrick called out to her.

"You made a mistake. You didn't believe in me. Ever. I wasn't… still aren't perfect. But I would never have given up on you."

She never broke stride as she vanished from sight.

* * *

Ken and Vesta had boarded the ship bound for Canalave, and were walking towards their cabins before either of them spoke again.

"Hey, Ken?"

"Yeah?"

"It's not my business…"

"You're right. It's not."

Vesta fell silent again at his cold reception towards her.

They reached their rooms, and Ken waited while Vesta opened her door and walked inside.

"Hey, Ken?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't let her get to you."

He let out a tired sigh. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I can see why she'd be mad… but I don't think you're as bad as she said."

"Well gee, thanks. Your opinion does so much good to me now."

"Fine. I'm sorry for trying to help. Just… remember this: She won't be the last one to say 'Yes' to you. There will be another girl some day."

Ken was silent as she shut her door, leaving him alone in the hall.

_Sorry for snapping at you. I'm just not in the mood right now._

He went into his room, and immediately was surprised by how tired he was. After dropping his things on the table, he fell into his bed and didn't move.

* * *

Several hours later, he awoke to the sun setting out of his window. He noticed that the scenery was now moving, and realized they had departed already. He stretched out his body and made to sit up, when he was startled by a woman's voice.

"Separate rooms, huh? Weird. I would've imagined you'd hit it off better than that by now…"

The voice seemed to echo throughout the room. _What the hell was that? Am I still dreaming, or is there a sexy voice box in my room?_

"Oh? Sorry for not introducing myself. Where are my manners? The name's Jazmine."

_Where the hell is she?_ Kendrick crept off the bed and walked towards the door.

"Behind you, silly!"

Ken wheeled around to check, and laying across his bed now was a woman wearing a silk purple robe with thin, long hair to match. Naturally, being a guy, Ken couldn't help but notice the robe was see-through, and very revealing. As if to compound his growing attraction to the woman, he suddenly felt himself being drawn to her eyes, with irises glowing with a deep crimson tint. He caught himself wondering if she even really had eyes, or if they were merely rubies set in the sockets.

"Can I help you?" _I don't know why, but this is one half-naked girl I'm not going anywhere near. I've got a bad feeling about this._

"Nah, I doubt you can help me." She glanced down his body. "From the looks of it, I sure could help you…"

Ken adjusted his pants to better conceal himself, obviously flustered.

"What's the matter? There's nothing wrong with that. Honestly, I appreciate the compliment! Whaddaya' say we have some fun for a while, eh?" She sprawled out on his bed, using her finger to call him closer to her.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?"

She groaned and relaxed as she realized he wasn't going to play along.

"If you must know… I'm watching you."

"Watching me?" _What the hell for?_

"Yeah, watching you. And her. And to answer your question, I'm doing it because I've been told to. Trust me, you're kinda' cute, but I could find much better."

"I didn't ask you a question. What the hell are you doing to me?!"

"I'm not doing anything to you. You're the one telling me your deepest thoughts."

"What the fuck does that mean? I can't do anything like that!"

"Yeah, actually, you can. Merely think of something, whether consciously or sub-consciously, and I can hear it. You'd be surprised the things you're thinking of right now. The things you want to do to me… the things you want to do to her… all of it. And I must say… I'm impressed. If you let yourself go… released all of those pointless inhibitions… you'd show me one hell of a good time." She leaned closer to him, almost off of the bed, and called him closer again. "If you want… I can help show you what you desire most. Just… be gentle." She gave him the most cunning and inviting smile he'd ever seen in his life.

"What… what are you talking about?"

"It's okay. Most people are scared to know what they're really thinking. I'll go ahead and tell you one thing about you though… you're not a bad person. You'd be rough as hell… but you'd never be cruel. Kinda' interesting, actually."

"Shut up!"

"Why?"

"Because you know nothing about me!"

"Wrong. I know lots about you. I even know why you're stonewalling me. You like the girl. Awww… how cute! Still though, you'd be surprised what I've heard some people think. You should count yourself lucky. Most guys are real assholes. You humans are so ugly."

"You humans?"

"Yeah, you heard me right. I'm not like you. You're diseased. All humans are."

"Then what the hell are you? You sure look human enough to me." _Even if she can read my mind…_

"Haha! Well, there you go. You said it best yourself. Humans can't read minds."

"Okay, so if you're not human, what are you?"

"Simply put: I'm superior. We all are. The Keepers knew this too… albeit too late."

"Well, I'm obviously not going to get a straight answer from you, am I? Fine, doesn't really matter to me. However, you mentioned Vesta. I don't care what you want from me, but if you don't stay away from her, you'll be dealing with me."

"Ha! Like you scare me! Don't worry though, Romeo. Karma already warned me about touching her, mentally or physically. And I sure won't. Boss would kill me… so damn hard."

"Karma? Boss? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Mmmm… wouldn't you like to know?"

"Whatever. Just tell me what you want with Vesta."

"Eh? You talkin' about Prototype 2.2?"

Prototype 2.2? What does she know about Vesta?!

"Lots. What I don't quite get is what Boss wants with her! She's obviously defective! Unless… I mean, she's cute, I guess… but I'm just as cute! And hell, I could do things that a normal girl could never do. What's so special about her?!"

Ken suddenly wondered just how old she was after seeing her throw a temper-tantrum. "Look, I'm sure you've got trouble at home, but I've got no clue what the hell you're talking about. Now, what do you mean she's defective? And who the hell are you?!"

"Calm down... I don't really have to tell you anything."

"Then why are you?"

"Hmmm... because I enjoy seeing and hearing your confusion."

"Why?"

"Do you have a question for everything?"

"Look, just tell me what you meant by calling her defective."

"Well, it's because she's a prototype. Not her fault really."

"Stop calling her that. It sounds like she's a lab-rat."

"Well, she basically is! The two prototypes for each generation exist solely for research. They're studied for how well the new serum type bonds with them, and what kind of impact it has on them... boring stuff. After they get all the data they need, they finish the refining process, and pump out the six of that generation."

"So... she was one of these 'test' cases?"

"Yup. And she was one of the lucky ones who survived the bonding."

"So, what's 'defective' about her? She seems normal enough to me."

"You see her tail and ears? Not normal. She has no control over her changing. It happens when it happens. From what I'd heard, she's human when she's timid, she's half when she's relaxed, and she's full-blown when she's provoked. 'Least, that's her normal pattern."

_Relaxed? Wow..._

"Oh please. Don't kid yourself."

"Shut up."

"Well, regardless, she's not normal. She's broke."

"What do you mean, 'changing'? You mean she can turn... more... animal?"

"Yeah... Are you not following this conversation at all?"

"Wait... Are you like her? Half-Pokemon?"

"Wow... you sure are dense. Yes, you moron."

"So, what are you?"

"I'm a Haunter!" Her face beamed with pride at her exclamation.

"Haunter? That would explain your mind-reading bullshit."

"Oh, rest assured. I've got other skills..."

"I'm sure."

"Oooh... that was a real kinky thought. You really like me, don't you?"

"Argh, quit doing that shit."

"Why? You obviously think I'm cute... you're not with her... so what's stopping you?"

"Just stop. I don't know why."

"What, you think by holding on to your hopes, she'll realize how much she'd like you, and you'll fall in love happily ever after? Hah! Don't make me laugh. That's not how romance works. You don't just fall in love with someone. It takes time, and commitment from both parties involved. And I hate to break it to you, but she doesn't have the foolish commitment that you do."

"Well then, chalk it up to my silly idealism."

"You want a girl who wants you to sweep her off her feet, huh?"

"Shit, I'll settle for a girl who wants me."

"Liar. I'm offering, and you're not taking."

"Yeah, like you're being serious."

She was silent for a moment. "Haha... yeah, you caught me. You're just a human after all."

"Look, as much as I've enjoyed this conversation and all, you still haven't told me exactly what the fuck you want with me."

"And you really don't need to know."

"Then I hope you don't mind leaving, because we're obviously through here."

"You're in no position to tell me what to do. And this is gonna' be a boring boat ride. Nah, I don't think we're done yet. Let's have some more fun."

"Not happening."

"Oh, don't worry. I understand that you don't wanna' fuck."

"Yikes, you're a real lady aren't you?"

"Normally I am, but you're being a real dick. So, now it's my turn. Let's play a game. How about Hide-and-Seek? If you can find out where I am on the ship... I'll leave you two alone. Just one rule: You leave her asleep. This is just a game for you and me."

"What the hell'd I do to you? And stop screwing around. I don't have time for your stupid games."

"Fine. Have it your way. But bear in mind. Every 20 minutes you don't find me, someone else dies."

"What?! What the fuck are you talking about?!"

"Glad to hear you'll be playing after all."

With another playful giggle, she vanished from thin air, not waiting to hear Kendrick's response.

"Shit! Is she being serious?! She's not really going to start killing people for fun... is she?"

_You know she would. In fact, if you think about it, she's probably starting the countdown with her first victim. Meaning... she's already killed somebody._

Kendrick suddenly felt an intense wave of nausea creeping up on him.

"I've gotta' find her. I have to."

Ken burst out of his room, and stood in the hallway.

_It sure is dead-quiet..._

Just as he was determining where he should look for his mischevious new friend first, he noticed an open door in his hallway. Without hesitation, and while swallowing the fear of him impending discovery, he dashed for the doorway to see what had happened.

Upon opening the door, he knew he had been right. Inside, an elderly gentleman sat peacefully in his chair, resting his head on the table, and prominently displaying the massive hole in the back of his head. As he crept closer to the body, he noticed the man was half-holding a revolver in his hand, and was positive he had shot himself.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! 'Assisted' suicide?! This isn't fucking good... not a bit. I thought she could just read my mind... what if she could control it...?"

_Yeah, you sure are fucked, huh?_

"Shit... no good leaving now."

Ken crept closer towards the slumped over body, despite the fact that everything in his soul was telling him to get help.

_Well, she's playing a game, right? That means she'd have left some kind of clues or something._

"So... all I've gotta' do is find her. And quick. Better get busy. This bitch means business."

He looked around the man's room, careful not to mess with anything in the room. After determining that the man was truly dead, and noticing that the rest of the room was remarkably clean compared to what he would've expected, he figured whatever there was to find would be on the man's person. He grudgingly reached into the man's coat pockets, hoping to find what he was looking for.

"Jackpot."

He pulled a crumpled up note out of the man's pocket, and after putting all of his dread aside, opened it up to read it.

"Oooh... good job. You found the first one! Doesn't it feel good to know that's you're getting closer to winning?! Okay, the next place I'm going to be... How about, in the hallway closest to the Captain' s Room? Yeah, I remember there was a real bitchy human in one of the rooms up there. A real obnoxious one. You know the kind? They think they're God's gift to Mankind. Why don't I try making her wish God had chosen another...?"

Ken's voice trailed off as he finished her note, and he felt his stomach knot up tight.

"I've gotta' stop this shit now. Does she really think people's lives are a fucking game?"

_It almost would've been better if you'd just slept with her, huh?_

"Yeah, right. And forgotten about Vesta? I wish I could..."

_Why not? It's not like she's shown that she cares back. All of the girls in this world, and you'd choose the one who doesn't seem to care? Maybe that Jazmine girl was right._

"Yeah... I know. Ahh, fuck it! I don't have time for this!"

He launched himself out of the room, and raced towards the VIP deck of the ship. As he reached the floor, he silently cursed that the bouncer in charge of the floor was nowhere to be found. When he finally came across the hallway Jazmine's note had mentioned, he saw a door open slightly, in much the same way as the first. Now, whether fully caught up in his hunt or more confident upon learning the rules of this new engagement, Ken's fear was all but gone, replaced with the drive to stop his new acquaintance.

As he flung open the door, bursting into the room, he began to realize he should've calmed down a bit first.

He now stood in the center of the cabin, staring at a woman who'd apparently just gotten out of the shower, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her hair.

"Ahh, shit! I'm so sorry!"

"Oh? What's the matter? You want pictures of me? Fine, if you must..."

"What? What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're not with the media? Then, if I may ask... what the hell are you doing in my room?"

"Media? Look, I came in because I was scared you'd been..."

"Scared I'd been what?"

"Killed..."

"Why would somebody want to kill me?" As she sat down at an elaborate mirror along the wall, she began to worry about her makeup, seemingly unfazed by the man who had just entered her room.

"More importantly... why haven't they?"

_It's been more than 20 minutes now. She wouldn't just give up._

"Shit, I'm in the wrong room!"

He made for the door, but was stopped by the woman's voice.

"Leaving so soon? But you've just got here... hell, I'm already undressed."

"What?!"

He swiveled his head to get a better look at the woman, who was now using a curling iron on her hair. "I said, why're you leaving so soon? Don't you want to have some fun first?"

The realization washed over him like a wave. The woman had already met Jazmine. "Fuck! Jazmine, I know you're in here!"

"Who're you talking about?"

"Jazmine! Quit your shit!"

"I don't know who you're referring to, but I'm getting a bit uncomfortable with you around now."

"Fuck you! Jazmine, if you don't quit, you're going to pay."

"Look, I'm sure you're angry at this woman for something, but I'd imagine she's not very scared of you. It almost sounds like you're trying to scold her... like she's a child. You do realize she's more than likely not a child, don't you? I mean, could a child come up with loopholes in her orders like her? She was instructed not to touch Prototype 2.2, but nothing was said about somebody else doing it. If I were her, I'd teach you a lesson."

"Stay away from Vesta!" Ken's face was red with anger.

"You really don't know how this game's being played, do you? I should remind you of the rules, then strip away this woman you hold so dear... for some damn reason."

No sooner had Kendrick opened his mouth than had the woman taken the curling iron in her hands, and plunged it into her chest, spilling blood everywhere. The woman collapsed on her back, not moving. Ken covered his nose with his shirt as the hot iron seared the flesh around the wound, and melded the different tissues in her body together with heat.

_Fuck... nothing beats the smell of a burnt heart, eh?_

Grimacing from a combination of his poor sense of humor and the smell, Kendrick fought to maintain his focus, then left the second dead body he'd seen today.

"I can't let her do anything else! She's out of fucking control!"

Upon reaching her cabin, he noticed that the door wasn't open yet.

"Is she not here yet?"

_Don't be stupid. She could be anywhere. For all you know, she can walk through fucking walls._

After deciding it was better to stop Jazmine before she got the chance, he cracked open her door and peered inside. He saw Vesta laying on the bed, seemingly motionless. He took another cautious step into her room, and saw that it had been a good idea to be careful this time. His face flushed when he realized she was wearing nothing but his shirt, tail wrapped around her leg, and was moving strangely on her bed. When he saw what she was doing with her hand, he knew he was in trouble if she caught him. He slipped back out of her room, and noticed that he'd been holding his breath the entire time. He gasped for air and began to process what he'd just walked in on Vesta doing.

"Holy shit..."

_What the hell is wrong with you?! Chances don't get much easier than that! She's all ready to go!_

"But, it wouldn't be right..."

_What's not right about it?! Come on, be a man! Take control! She's asking for it!_

"But..."

Even as he struggled with his own conscience, he felt himself drawn back to Vesta's room. He opened the door once more to get another look, and saw that she'd changed positions. She was now on all fours on her bed, head down on the pillows, biting into one, and using the tip of her tail in place of her hands. Ken shut the door again.

"Jesus... she's so damn hot..."

_Then what the fuck are you waiting for? Get your ass in there and show her a good time!_

"But... she's not like that. Besides, she really doesn't like me anyways... right?"

_Fuck! You're just making excuses! If you don't think you have a chance with her, why the fuck did you pass me up then?!_

"What the hell...?"

_Oops..._

Kendrick left Vesta's door, and darted into his own. After slamming the door, he walked over to his mirror and stared at himself.

"Jazmine, if you're in my fucking head, get out now."

He saw her appear behind him in the mirror, grinning wildly from ear to ear.

"So, you actually found me? I'm impressed. I've played that game with several other men, and all died long before they learned the truth."

"Which is?"

"That they'd never actually moved from the spot I left them in. I'll go ahead and save you the confusion right now. Everything that's happened since we started playing, wasn't real. I was actually instructed long beforehand to not cause any kind of a scene. So, nobody's really died yet."

"What the hell do you mean, 'yet'?"

"I mean exactly what it sounds like, all of you humans will die eventually."

"Give me your hand. I want to show you something."

"What? Why should I?"

"Because you're superior. There's nothing I can do to hurt you, right? So why not just let me show you a trick?"

"...okay."

He took Jazmine's hand into his own, and was surprised by how warm it actually was. As he held her hand, he bit his hand until he drew blood, then did the same for Jazmine.

"Ouch! What the fuck is your problem?!"

"Shut up. Look at our hands."

She did as she was told. "What about 'em?"

"Our blood... is the same color."

"And?"

"If we both bleed, and our blood looks the same... then I've gotta' believe all of this superiority you keep mentioning is purely a mental trick you're playing on yourself."

"What...?"

"We're not very different. You've just got some different abilities. There's nothing inferior about others though."

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! I've seen the differences. You humans all want the same things, and power is always at the root of it all. You're not satisfied with just living your lives... no. You've gotta' live them in constant competition, and damn who gets hurt along the way. I've heard every ugly thought you humans think, and I especially know how most people view those who're different than them. You're all disgusting."

"But my point remains. It's not what's on the outside of us. It's what's on our insides."

"Shut up!" As she screamed, she injected herself back into Ken's mind, and began clustering his thoughts with more of his own, as well as some of hers. His mind raced to a dangerous extent, and he was struggling merely to maintain conciousness.

"What the hell are you doing to me?!"

"I'm checking just how deep I can go down into your brain. What's the matter? Does it hurt? Too damn bad..."

Suddenly, the rush of thoughts ceased, and Ken saw Jazmine's face, twisted in some form of fear or comprehension. Almost like the face of a child hearing tales of the monsters underneath their bed... a face of fear, and incredible disbelief.

"What is it? What's the matter with you?"

"What... what was that...?"

"What was what?"

"Inside... I saw it... it saw me... WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

As she screamed, the sound reverberated inside of his head, and he fell to the floor, writhing in pain. Left with no time to think, he sunk his teeth deep into his hand to ease his pain, only to discover Jazmine really could feel everything he could. As the two caused each other more and more pain from the feedback in Ken's head, they both ended up on the floor, and blacked out.

* * *

When Ken finally came to, he was laying on his bed, with Jazmine asleep at his side, with no clue how they got there. He gave her a shove to wake her up, and waited until she fully regained awareness.

He threw his head back onto his pillow. "So, you mind telling me what the fuck just happened back there?"

"I'm... not sure. I went too deep into your head... and our minds temporarily joined... I think."

"Not that. That really doesn't matter to me. I meant, what the hell scared you so badly?"

Her face turned more serious than he'd seen it yet, and he knew she wasn't in the mood for her silly games anymore.

"You... aren't right. Something's not right with you. I need to leave..."

He grabbed her arm, and didn't intend to let go until he got the answer he wanted. At least, not until he saw Vesta standing in his doorway, staring at him in bed with a woman she didn't know.

She left without saying a thing, and Ken let go of Jazmine to try and stop her. As soon as he did, Jazmine disappeared again.

"Wait! Vesta! Jazmine! Aww... FUCK!"

He crashed back onto his bed again, and stared at the ceiling, desperately trying to make sense of everything that had just happened.

* * *

Jazmine was walking to Boss's chamber, head hung low, wondering how she was going to explain what had happened.

As she entered the room, she saw his silhouette through the dim lighting, sitting behind his massive desk, watching her make her way to him.

"Jazmine. How'd it go?" His tone was violent and sarcastic.

"It's not how it sounds, Master!"

"Silence! I specifically told you not to make a scene!"

"Yes, Master! And I didn't!"

"Then why, in the FUCK, did somebody get murdered on that ship?!"

"I don't know how... but I do know who. In my report... I mentioned it."

"That bullshit I read about the boy's psyche? You're being blinded by your own damn personal interest."

"What...?"

"You heard me. You like the boy. You've built this glorified image of him in your brain. You dug too deep, and you found the same shit you find in everyone's head. The ugly side. Simple as that."

"No! This is different! There's something very wrong with him! The side I saw... inside him... that's not the guy he really is! Something else is in there! I'm telling you!"

"Your opinion is noted. And that's all it is. Until I see some proof myself, you're going to have to deal with the fact that I don't believe you. You're dismissed."

Jazmine turned and ran out the door, fighting back the tears in her eyes.

"I know what I saw... and I know what he did. But... why? How could he, of all people... kill her?"


	4. Chapter 4 Blue Water, Blue Funk

Chapter 4 – Blue Water, Blue Funk

Author's Note:

For this chapter... It's short, but it's necessary to be separate. In my opinion at least. I can promise Chap. 5 will have some action too. For now, you get character development. Hurray for you. :P

* * *

**No quote needed this time. Just listen to Colorless Sky from Trigun. Music's better than words at times.  
.com/watch?v=Q_hLb3Ae8jg**

Jazmine was furious. The fear of Boss had long since worn off, and had been replaced with a seething anger; a certain determination to prove him wrong.

"Where the hell does he get off?! Fuck him! Fuck his suspension! And Fuck Mama!"

Her "Mama", had heard about her report, and chastised her for caring at all about Kendrick. She found herself thinking more about what her mother had said, and why she had so many reservations about her ideals recently.

* * * * *

"Jazmine, you know better than to fall for a human boy... They're unclean."

"But Mama..."

"Don't you 'But Mama' me. I raised you better than that. Creatures cannot co-exist if they're not accepting of each other. Did he really accept you for what you are?"

"What? That was never something... What the hell do you think happened?! It's not like we spent a night together! Whatever attraction I held for him was purely physical, and nothing more."

"Hmmm... I wonder..."

Jazmine felt a sudden wave of shame, as if her mom was looking into her thoughts. _Of course, she could... I'm just lucky she doesn't. Her mind would crush mine..._

* * * * *

She sat quietly in her room now, resting her head against the pillows, staring up at the cold ceiling. _Is he... really as unclean as Mama says? He didn't seem bad, and he didn't even seem to mind me reading his mind. No more than the initial fear of it. But even after I hurt him... he still carried me to the bed to lay down._

Her face broke into a playful smile. "No way he's just a dirty human. He's special... at least to me, and that's all I care about. Suspension or not, I'm gonna' track his ass down again."

* * *

Kendrick was laying quietly on his bed, staring up at the uncomfortably hot ceiling in his cabin. _Fuck me... Did I even get to sleep last night?_

He rolled from his bed, and dragged his feet towards the mirror with him, half expecting someone to be standing behind him. As he washed his face, he found himself looking at the door where Vesta had stood some many hours ago. _What did she actually see? I mean... nothing happened, but did I have my hands anywhere or... Argh! Fuck. It's not my fault. If she doesn't want to listen to what happened, then there's nothing I can do about it. Besides... it's not like we're together or anything. Fuck me... Maybe Jazmine was right._

The thought brought him back to washing his face, more furiously now, as if to scrub away the train of thought now plaguing him. After turning the water off and drying his face with a towel, he set his clothes for the day down and got in the shower. As the water turned on and flowed down his neck and back, his mind wandered back to Vesta, and whether or not she'd talk to him right now. He wiped the ideas from his mind, and just stood in the shower, half asleep from physical and mental fatigue.

Some ten minutes later, he got out and dressed himself for the day. Each action he took seemed slow in comparison to his normal routine, as if he didn't want a reason to leave the room and face the beautiful woman next door.

Another minute later, he was knocking on her door, asking her to open up; but to no avail. _You know what?! Screw it! I never did a thing to you! At least give me the decency of a response..._

He spun around, storming off towards the deck of the ship, and desperate for some air. _Why does this shit always happen? It seems like every time I start to really fall for a girl, it just falls apart! What's wrong with me? I mean... I'm not a bad guy... I may not be the most charming, or anything like that... But damned if I'm not a great guy! So why does this keep happening?!_

His walk continued to be so self-absorbed, he didn't even notice the presence of Jazmine stepping softly in his shadows.

* * *

Her room reflected her lazy attitude, and she was starting to realize that it was probably time to clean it. Jazmine was on her knees beneath her desk, searching desperately for her copy of the report she just turned in: A task easier said than done. There were papers everywhere, and she had no clue where she'd left it.

"Arrrggghhh! Where the balls did I put that damn thing?!"

While she sat there, absent-mindedly shuffling through the papers scattered everywhere in her room, her thoughts went back to the ship. _He must really care for that damn girl. I didn't even dive back into his mind, and I could feel his pain when she stopped answering him..._

She had stopped searching and was now sitting on the ground thinking about Ken. _Could it have been her who caused it? He seemed distraught... Maybe it was her who triggered it? But then where did he get it to begin with? And just what the hell is it exactly?!_

Confused, she went back to finding the report and continued to play everything back in her mind.

* * *

Kendrick plowed through the door leading outside and leaned against the railing. As he stared out over the sea, he remained lost in his thoughts, oblivious to the woman watching from the shadows.

_What the hell's her problem?! Damn! I just can't win!_ He spun around and slammed his closed fist into the side of the ship, prompting the need to rub the new bruise he'd surely receive.

When he turned back to the railing, he noticed that he hadn't been alone on the deck. Further down, he saw that Vesta was sitting down, watching his outburst.

_Wait... so she wasn't in her room? Damn it... now I feel like an ass._

"Uh, Ken? You feeling okay there?"

"I'm just fine. Why'd you ask?"

"Mmmm... No reason."

"Oh." He walked up and sat down next to her, and the two sat in silence for some time, just staring at the clouds in the sky. Ken sprawled out and laid back, while Vesta remained in a ball, arms locking her legs in place.

Vesta broke the silence first. "It's a really beautiful day, right?"

"Yeah, it sure is..."

"Heh... then why doesn't it feel like it?"

Ken looked at her and noticed a steady stream of tears flowing down her face. He wanted to do something - anything, but couldn't think of what he should do. He silently cursed himself for not being able to do anything, and wanted to hurt himself because he was pretty sure he'd caused those tears.

"Vesta... will you at least let me explain?"

"Explain what?"

"Don't play dumb with me. Are you going to listen or not? You couldn't even imagine the shit that Jazmine put me through..."

"Oh? So her name's Jazmine?"

_Shit... Nice._ "Yeah, it is. If you'll let me explain, you'll understand. I promise."

"I'm sure I will. But maybe some other time. I don't feel like hearing it. I just don't care right now."

"Well, what the hell do you care?! You're 'soooooo not my girl', right? Well, what should it matter to you who I sleep with?"

"You slept with her?! You pig!"

"I didn't say that! I asked why you care at all! So, why do you care?"

"I don't know!"

The two were silent for what seemed like an eternity, each staring at the other, confused.

Vesta spoke first again. "I... just don't know."

"What's there to know?"

"Now who's playing dumb?"

"No. I mean it. What's there to have to know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Haha... now I don't even know. I guess, what I'm trying to say is... true friendships... relationships... Those kinds of things don't really require a person to know everything, right?"

"I guess..."

"Well, if two people really get along with each other, they should be able to share their thoughts with one another, right? When you start thinking too hard about something, that's when it kinda' loses all of its magic. Just keep it simple."

"What are you saying?"

_Fuck it. Just go for it._ "Well, do you want to give... you know... 'us' a shot?" _The ball's in her court now... please say yes..._

"Wow... are you asking me... to be your girlfriend?"

"Well, when you put it that way, it sure sounds childish..."

"But is that what you're asking me?"

"Hell if I know! I... I just thought I should let you know that I like you. And... I was kinda' wondering if you felt the same way at all."

"I don't know..."

_Fuck._ "What's the matter? If you don't want to, just let me know. I'd rather hear no than maybe."

"I don't know, okay?!"

"Well, dammit! Let me help you figure it out!"

She didn't respond, and Ken realized there was no point in pushing the issue. He leaned back, and they sat in silence for some time again.

"Hey, Ken."

"Yes?"

"Are we friends?"

"What the hell kind of a question is that?"

"What do you consider a friendship?"

"Well, I guess it's best described as two people who can have fun together, share ideas and beliefs, and just all around enjoy each other's company. A friendship exists when two people accept each other for what they are, and enjoy them as such. I don't really know how to describe it though."

"So, do you consider me a friend?"

"Well... I suppose. We don't really know that much about each other though."

"Does that bother you?"

"Nah, not really. Like I said, some things are better off left simple. People look for coincidences far too often in my opinion. Nothing's ever taken at face-value.

"Hmmm..."

"So, have you come to a decision yet?"

"I... still don't know."

_Figures... she's probably just trying to figure out how to tell me no. Damn._

They spent the rest of the day, just sitting there, looking up at the sky in silence. Day eventually turned into night, and Ken decided it was time for him to go.

He flipped himself onto his feet and brushed himself off. "Well, hey, don't worry about it. We won't get to Jubilife for a while. We'll be taking the new rail system when we reach Canalave, so we should get to my uncle's in about... 3 days or so. I'm kinda' tired now, so I'm gonna' go ahead and head back to my room."

"Okay..."

He set his hand on her shoulder before he left, wanting to say something that would help her, but the words never came. "Goodnight, Vesta."

"Goodnight..."

* * *

"Yes!"

Jazmine emerged from underneath her bed, report in hand, and face beaming with pride at her accomplishment. She opened to the page about Kendrick and began to read.

*****************************************************  
Candidate Data: Generation 4: Candidate #059  
Name: Kendrick Fenrir  
Age: 18  
(All Data recorded 3 months prior)  
Height: 6'2"  
Weight: 220 lbs.  
Hair Color: Dark Brown  
Eye Color: Hazel

Pokemon Party: Shinx  
Battle Style: Quick paced, with a clear lack of planning. Lack of direction in combat stems from his belief that battles lose their excitement when you write them down on paper. Learned early on that his greatest strength is adaptability, and has centered his training around it. Generally aggressive in combat, his aggression is complemented nicely by his read-and-react approach to fighting. Outside of having an aggressive nature and relying on the reflexes on his pokemon and himself, there's no clear battle style that can be determined. He literally seems to make things up as he goes, and is good at doing so. Dangerously good.

Battle Rankings(relative to Pokemon league challengers at similar levels):  
Power: A  
Speed: A  
Intelligence: D  
Knowledge: C  
Luck: S  
CQC: A  
Short Range: A  
Mid Range: B  
Long Range: A  
Reflexes: S

Ranking Notes: As his rankings imply, he's your prototypical physical style fighter. But that's where the weird part begins. His Intelligence ranking is incredibly misleading, since he's one of those who the current ranking determination system hurts. His percentage of "good" attacks versus "bad" is abysmal. However, it's made ugly because his battle style is to never let up the gas. In his eyes, any attack can be a good attack. In this sense, his adaptability makes this strategy work. If I had to guess with my gut feeling, he'd be a B. But here's where the extremely weird part begins. His luck, while it may be an opinion based stat, shouldn't be an S in my opinion. Actually, it should be the D. The trouble with determining the actual value is that our Luck is subjective. What we consider lucky, may very well have been planned beyond our understanding. While what occurs in his battles seems like chance, even to him, it always seems to have been caused by something he did. Not just luck. More like an uncanny ability to win.

But that's not even the scariest part. In my own personal observations, I cross-checked attacks and results in times of intense stress(i.e.- His Luxio nearly being unconscious with fatigue). In these times of critical importance, he was _perfect_ in every sense of the word. His rankings, if only including these near-defeat cases, are straight S's. It's too weird for me to chalk it up to coincidence. Besides, as freaky as it was on paper, it's even scarier in person. Every battle I witnessed, he never broke down. He once sustained a severe cut from the byproduct of an attack, and didn't flinch until the battle had ended. He didn't even seem to notice. Afterwards, he collapsed outside of his house, probably from a lack of blood.

Overall Impressions: In all honesty, I don't know what to think. His actual abilities aren't overly impressive. He appears to be a normal league contender; the kind who could enter intense training and have a shot at the title. Definitely not EVO-material. However, when in his presence, I can't help but feel like he's going to win. Despite myself, I feel inclined to watch on, because he's never really done. This phenomenon is far too interesting for me not to ask for a second evaluation.

Threat Assessment: Seems too intent on just living his life to truly care about anything. However, he has a strong sense of morality, and is a pain to manipulate. He won't do anything he doesn't want to. If chosen, he must be encouraged, not ordered. Promises of grandeur will be more effective than promises of punishment, although the former doesn't guarantee results. He's not an idiot. As for threat level in combat, it'd be advised to stay on his good side. While he's not particularly impressive by our standards, he's sure to give it his all. And as we learned from the 1st Gen Prototypes, those with nothing to lose can be... Problematic.

Candidate Status: TBD

Second Opinions(As recorded by Unit 3.4): The original Seeker's descriptions were amazingly accurate, despite the eccentricity of it. It must be noted that he has acquired a new party member. His newly joined Eevee is cute, but not very frightening. He hasn't really incorporated it into his party yet, but he's thought up several names for it, and it'll be with him for a while. No data is available for it's capabilities. As for his Shinx, it's recently undergone an evolution. The circumstances were pretty remarkable however, as were detailed in my report on the Prototype 2.1 Incident. His new Luxio seems even more like it's trainer: Laid-back, but fierce. I must admit, while observing the subject, I began to grow infatuated with him. He's not like most humans. His behaviors match his ideals for the most part, which he's not afraid to share, regardless of how much he keeps them to himself. He'll only offer information about himself if asked. He doesn't seem to like guessing what people want either. He also seems like he's becoming attached to Prototype 2.1, or Vesta, as he's named her. The process of earning a name from him has also seemed to boost her affection for him, although it would be a stretch to say they're romantically engaged, and neither seems to be willing to make that so. Despite this, his desire to keep her safe is incredibly strong, almost to the point that he disregards that she's an EVO. In all honesty, this stems from a strong affection growing deep in his heart, which I discovered from a simple mind check. It's only a matter of time before he acts upon those feelings... at which point, seperating the two may become nigh on impossible. Assuming we want the Prototype back that is. As for his combat abilities, all I've seen to date was during the P 2.1 Incident. Those details can be found in that report as well. I will confirm the original Seeker's beliefs that something is strange about him though. His personality is infectious, albeit inimitable. His Luxio feeds off of that energy though, and the two are clearly on the same page as one another. He's definitely more than appears. Hell, he killed that mercenary from the Talons. Nobody could've seen that coming, no matter how "lucky" it was. Overall though, his new-found distaste for our organization is not exactly making him a promising EVO candidate. However, his skills should not go without noting. I'm recommending this candidacy be determined by you yourself, sir. These reports are accurate, so a third opinion shouldn't be needed, but the choice is yours as always.

Candidate Status: TBD

Added Note: Something I found during an unauthorized deep probe of the candidates mind is too important to not mention. Upon reaching a certain "depth" of his psyche, I sensed... a presence. It's still tough to explain, but I found what I can only describe as a new aura... or rather, a new person. This entity seems completely unrelated to him, and the only connection I can determine is that it resides in the candidate's head. It may sound strange, like a misinterpretation of what I saw... but I saw it. And later on, there was an accident on the ship. After spending the majority of the day sitting on the deck of the ship with Vesta, he proceeded to head back inside, visibly distraught by whatever had transpired. (I made no further attempts to view his thoughts after my encounter.)

This caught my attention because I'd seen his mind when he's distressed, and his body does not show the truth. To be visibly bothered, something must have been on his mind. Something big. Upon leaving Vesta's sightline, he proceeded to bang his fists on the empty hallway in frustration. Second's later, he fell to his knees and held his head as if in pain. Upon rubbing the pain away a minute later, he stood and walked away... but not to his room.

He made his way to the cabin of a woman I had showed him in a dream, and entered. Confused, and slightly scared, I failed to pursue after him. From inside the woman's cabin, I heard a startled scream, that cut off quickly. Several minutes later, he emerged from the cabin, nothing different about him, and reported to his room. I followed him until he fell asleep in his bed, then went back to check on the woman. When I went inside to inspect, I saw something that even I found sickening. The woman was pinned to the ceiling by her curling iron, a manner of death similar to what I had shown him in my before mentioned dream. The room was surprisingly clean, except for the pool of blood that was collecting in the center of the floor that had dripped from her body. The body itself was another story though. Her face portrayed the results of a monumental beating that she had received, as if he had done nothing but wail on her face for the time he had been in the room. I examined the rest of her body as well, and noticed the same kind of bruising. It was as if he'd found a punching bag, and let out every single frustration a man can possibly feel. The contrast between his normal demeanor and this... freakish behavior, is something I can't accurately describe at this time. My best guess is that it's some form of multiple personality disorder. I don't think he was himself at the time of this action. In fact, I know he wasn't himself.

As of last mention, he and the Prototype were making for Jubilife to visit an uncle of his. I formally request permission to follow the candidate for further observations, despite my report's recommendation.

End Report.

* * *

Jazmine didn't care to wait for Boss's response. She was going to find him.

* * *

As Kendrick entered the ship's interior, he cursed everything he should've said while with her. In a twist of cruel irony, the words were plentiful now, and any one of them would've been better than "Goodnight."

_Son of a bitch!_

He slammed his fist into the steel walls of the ship, not even feeling the pain he should have.

_Fuck me! Just... Fuck me!_

He continued to pound his fists into walls, cursing everything about his existence... until he felt a burning in his head. He dropped to his knees, unable to open his eyes because of the amount of pain he was in.

_What the he... Arrrrrrrrrggggghhh! What the fuck is happening to me?!_

_Quit fighting it child._

_What?!_

_Just take a rest. You can do that once in a while, right?_

_Who the hell... Jazmine?_

_No... That woman wouldn't dare try doing that again._

_What is this? Who are you?_

_I'm you._

_You're what?_

_I'm you._

_How so?_

_Because you're too weak to handle life on your own._

_What are you talking about?_

_Just give me control._

_Control?_

_Take a rest. I'll make you feel better._

_Feel... better?_

_Yes, child._

_How...?_

_Through the one thing you won't do._

_What's that?_

_Violence._

_Why? Isn't there something else I can do?_

_What's more effective than killing the problem?_

_I... don't know._

_No. You don't. Just go to sleep. When you wake, you'll feel better._

_How though?_

_Your stresses... they'll cease to exist._

_What does that mean?_

_True sleep is the only calm you can feel. Trust me._

_Why should I?  
__  
Because I'm good._

_Oh yeah?_

_Yeah._

_Alright then... just this once._

_Goodnight._

* * *

_Don't worry. I won't let you get caught. I need you._

* * *

_Now... let's have some fun. Hahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_


	5. Chapter 5 The UGL

Author's Note:

I didn't really want to leave this separate, like the last chapter, seeing as it's mostly set-up for the story and therefore shorter. It wasn't my favorite thing to write, but it's important, so meh.

As for the quote in this chapter, it pertains only to the beginning of this one/end of last chapter. Normally, I use a quote that applies to the whole thing, or just the end. Not this time though. I liked the quote too much to not use it.

Comments and criticisms are always appreciated, and in all honesty, when people review, it gives me that much more reason to write. Thanks for reading.

* * *

**"Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King**

"Hey, Ken! Wake up already!"

"Ugh... what are you doing here...?" Ken rolled to his side and pulled his pillow over his head. He didn't know why, but his head was killing him.

"Stop screwing around! We reached Canalave. Hurry up and get out of bed."

"Already? Damn... how long have I been asleep?" He rolled one more time until his legs fell off the bed, and willed the rest of his body to follow.

"How the hell should I know? Last time I saw you, you were heading in to get some rest. My guess: Since then."

"Well, gee, thanks for showing your concern by checking up on me. What time is it anyways?"

"Didn't think it was necessary. You can handle yourself, right? And it's sometime after 8. The sun went down a while ago."

"Alright then. Hey... is something wrong? You seem different..."

"Not that I know of, why?"

"I dunno'... Wait a minute! Where's your tail?! Or your ears?!"

"Oh, those? I'm not sure. I must've changed overnight because they were gone when I woke up. I'm still not in control of myself, remember?"

"Yeah, but..." _What was it that Jazmine said? She's normal when she's shy, or something like that? Damn._

"By the way, Ken?"

"What is it?"

"Something strange happened while you were asleep. All day long, the crew and passengers have been talking about some kind of murder."

"A murder?! Who?"

"No clue. Some woman they said. I've been hearing rumors all day... It's kinda' sad really. Somebody died, and most people are worried about how it happened, not about her death..."

"Hey, don't sound so shocked. People normally have some kind of morbid curiosity about death. The world's just desensitized to stuff like that now. Murder is all too common an occurrence..."

"That's more human than animal. Pokemon don't act like that when another dies."

"Maybe it is... but it's still how things are. You're acting different today. Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"I'm fine I said. Do you... want to know how she died...?"

"Only if you care enough to tell me."

"Humph. Fine then. I'll tell you anyways. Apparently... she was killed with... every damn object the human imagination can come up with."

"What?"

"I've heard 7 different versions of the story now, and 4 different weapons have been talked about. Nobody seems to know anything anymore. My personal favorite is that she was stabbed with her own curling iron. Heard that one from 3 of the stories."

"Wait... a curling iron? That's weird..."

"Yeah, I know! I'm pretty sure the murderer could've found a better weapon than that..."

"No, that's not it. When Jazmine was messing with my head... She made a woman kill herself with the curling iron she was using. That's a freaky coincidence, if you ask me."

Her face twisted downwards, seemingly disgusted. "Well then, maybe your new girlfriend is the killer. She was the only strange person around."

"Not a chance. She was nuts, but she wouldn't have killed anyone." Even as he said the words, he wasn't thinking about them. His mind was wandering to where Jazmine actually went after that night.

"Oh! Well excuse me! I didn't realize you knew she was such a good person. Tell you what, why don't you think about how good she is for a while? I'll be in my room when you're ready to leave."

He sat on his bed, thoroughly confused at what had just happened.

_What the HELL is your problem?!_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
_

The darkness was making it harder to find street signs than normal, and on the crowded streets of Jubilife, that was never a good thing. Ken and Vesta had been walking for hours ever since their train had arrived, and still hadn't found his uncle's house.

"Hey, Ken, let's just go sleep at the Pokemon Center tonight. We'll find your uncle in the morning. Plus, he'll be easier to find when he's at work. Let's go."

"No way. We made great time. I wasn't expecting to be able to catch the train last night, and I can't stop thinking about what he wanted to tell me. We'll find him soon. I know it was around here somewhere..."

"That's what you said an hour ago..."

Even Ken was starting to feel a bit tired. After getting off of the ship, they managed to make the last train out of Canalave, and arrived in Jubilife the next day, ahead of schedule. However, they hadn't gotten much time to sleep well, and they were beginning to miss a good night's rest.

"I know it's right around here. He told me he lived right behind the Global Trade Station. He works there, so they found him a place really close by... Booya! Told you I'd find it. Come on! We're finally here!"

"Okay, okay... calm down!" Vesta was smiling now.

The two ran up to the door, and Ken almost broke down the door while knocking in his eagerness.

"Hey, Uncle! Open up! It's Kendrick!"

He continued knocking for another minute until somebody opened the door. The man was the same height as Ken, and just as big through. His face reflected what time it actually was, and Vesta shrunk behind Ken just in case.

"Do you have any damn idea what time it is?"

Ken grinned. "Not a damn clue."

He took out a cigarette and grinned back as he put it in his mouth. "Alright then. Get your asses inside. I'll be in soon, and then you're going to introduce me to your beauty of a new girlfriend."

"Her name's Vesta, and she's... not my girlfriend. Come on in Vesta, I'll show you where you can sleep."

The two took off into the house as Ken's uncle lit the cigarette and took a deep drag. When they were out of earshot, Vesta was nearly shaking with the questions she wanted to ask.

"Ken, that's your uncle? He doesn't seem very friendly..."

"He's the friendliest guy I know these days. Everybody in the world _acts_ polite with others, but very few genuinely mean what they say to people. He's one of the nicer ones."

"Really? He's uh... grumpy."

"Nah, not at all. He's just a bit rough around the edges. He's really nice. He only looks like a badass. Alright, this is the guest room. You'll be sleeping here."

"I guess. Where will... you be sleeping?"

"Probably on the couch or floor. Doesn't really bother me. All I need is a pillow or five. I'll be just fine."

"You'd sleep on the floor? That's weird."

"Says the girl who has a tail. Normally, at least..."

"You're still hung up on that? Look, it's not a big deal, I still don't know how to control anything about myself."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." _But if you were happier..._

"Hey, let me borrow another pair of your pants!"

"What?! No. You're already wearing one."

"The ones I've been wearing all day? Do you expect me to meet your uncle dirty?"

"What the hell's your problem? He's not gonna' care. And if you really want to make a big impression, wear one of those dresses I had to buy for you!"

"No, I'm not dressing up when I'll be in bed soon. And besides, I'm wearing one tomorrow. Just give me your damn pants!"

"Crazy ass woman!"

"Take your damn pants off!"

Both jumped at the sarcastic and gruff voice from the doorway. "You know, any other time, I'd give you a high five or something. But you better keep that stuff to a minimum while you're in my house."

Vesta fell to the bed and threw a pillow over her face, embarrassed as Ken tried to explain, but his uncle just walked away.

The two remained their in silence for another moment, until Ken broke it. "You know, that was all your fault."

The pillow nailed him in the back of the head.

* * *

An hour later, the three were gathered around the table relaxing as Kendrick tried explaining what had happened and how he'd met Vesta. After he had told his tale though, his mind began to wander.

_I didn't hide anything from him... but I feel like I never really said much about Vesta. Like, spending the night at the lake, or about when we went shopping in Vermilion... Why? Am I embarrassed about something?_

His thoughts were broken by his uncle's voice. "Well, that just sounds crazy enough to be true. Except for the ears and tail thing. But to be honest I don't really care. It's probably kinda' hot, huh?"

"Knock it off, Uncle." He saw Vesta blush at his comment.

"Haha... I'm just messing around. Well, you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to. Both of you. I mean it. A friend of the family is a friend of mine."

Vesta's eyes lit up at the promise. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Don't mention it. Now, as for you... does your mom have any clue where you are?"

"Not likely."

"And why the hell not?"

"Because she'd come after me. And besides, I'm kinda' wanted for murder in a roundabout way. Those things tend to cause problems."

"She at least deserves to know that you're safe... Shit. Alright, I'll tell you what I'm gonna' do. I'm going to say you called me from somewhere, I don't know where, and told me to tell her that you're safe and sound, and that you'll be back home soon. It may not be true, but it'll calm her down, and she won't have to know you're here."

"Okay. Hey, thanks again."

"No problem. Okay, little Missy, I think it's about time you got some rest. You can barely sit up straight."

"Yeah, he really tires me out..."

Ken and his uncle chuckled quietly.

"Hey Kendrick, you know how I said I'd give you a high five for any other time?"

"Yeah."

"Nice!" They burst out laughing after a quick high five, and it dawned on Vesta what she had said.

"You guys are just a couple of pervs! I'll see you tomorrow. And don't come in the room!"

They quieted their laughing as she walked down the hall, and after the door closed, his uncle became more serious.

"Alright Ken. That man you killed? I was hearing about it the other day on the news. Apparently, he was a high up member of mercenary group stationed in Johto. They call themselves the Talons. That's not too important though. I looked into them, and it turns out they rarely work together, so you didn't make any enemies or anything."

"Good? Why would you tell me this anyways?"

"Because, dumbass, they're a mercenary group. You know what that means?"

"It means they do jobs they're paid for. Obviously somebody didn't get their money's worth... Wait a minute. Does that mean somebody paid him?"

"That's what I've been thinking. If he was paid to kill the girl... you may have fallen into a bigger hole than you realized."

"You think it could be related to the girl I met on the boat?"

"More than likely."

"Well... damn. What am I supposed to do about that though?"

"My advice: Nothing. There's nothing you can do. That girl is going to be nothing but trouble."

"I don't care. I gave her my word. I'm going to help her no matter what. And I sure as hell wouldn't just hang her out to dry."

"I'm sorry, maybe I should've said, she's going to be nothing but _major_ trouble. And would you really do all of that for a girl who you're not even with?"

"What the hell kind of question is that? Sure, I really like her... but just because the feeling isn't exactly mutual, she's still a friend. I'll do anything for her, whether she's with me or not."

"I knew you'd say something stupidly righteous like that. Haha... don't change that about you. At any rate, I had already looked into something else for you, and amazingly enough it happens to tie into what I wanted to tell you a while back, remember?"

"Yeah, that's actually why I came here. You planning on telling me now?"

"Sure, now's as good of a time as any. First though, Vesta should join us. Mind stepping from behind the wall, Miss?"

Ken's face flared up as he realized that she had been listening the whole time. He just stared at her as she walked around to the table and sat down, avoiding all eye contact.

"So little Missy, I assume you've heard everything?" His uncle lit another cigarette and settled back into his chair as she nodded her head. He took another moment to size up the two, and upon realizing that each was blushing harder than the other, he decided to just continue.

"Alright then. Kendrick, how much do you know about the Pokemon League?"

"Same things everyone else knows. Gyms, badges, trainers, leaders, and the regional Elite Four groups. What about it?"

"Have you ever considered taking the challenge? You know, becoming the Champion and all that fan-fare?"

"Not really. I mean, everybody thinks about it, but I'm not a fool. The leaders and such... they're wicked. They really earned their reputations, and most do it by following the League's strict battle rules. Not many people can hang with them in an official League match."

"This is all true. So, why haven't you?"

"I don't know. Laziness I suppose."

"But the competition is fierce..."

"Maybe. Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

"No, I was merely establishing context. Come on, play along for a bit. Well, a while back, I was given a task to connect a bunch of video screens, communications, bio-rhythmic monitors... some really weird stuff... and it was all put in some form of giant maze underground. The place creeped me out, to be perfectly honest. It was immense, and I put in a lot of high-tech crap. Well, naturally, my job was to just get things connected, not install them, so I did almost everything in their "control room", without much access to other people. The whole process seemed shady, but my boss thought highly of them, and I know he's not the type for dirty dealings. It just seemed weird."

Vesta chimed in her curiosity. "What do you do?"

"I'm a communications specialist, in more ways than one."

"What he means is, his day job is a techie for the Global Trade Station."

"What I also meant is, because I spend all day dealing with the latest technology and how it's being used, I'm the man to know when you want to know something. Think of me as the greatest Streetear you've ever met. Oh, and Ken, it's not the GTS anymore. They changed its name to the Global Terminal. New facilities too."

Vesta was still confused. "You mean, like a spy?"

"Haha... not quite, but definitely cool enough. Basically, I hear everything going on in the world, at one point or another."

"Oh, okay."

Kendrick was getting impatient. "Hey, are you going to tell me what you found out about this place or not?"

"Chill out. Alright, back to the Pokemon League. Have you heard of Pokemon Purists?"

"A little bit. Aren't they like activists for Pokemon?"

"Most are, but the ones we know nowadays aren't the first to call themselves such. They stole the name from another group, that was founded back when the League was being created. You see, the creation of a formal league for holding Pokemon battles seems commonplace today, but it wasn't always so. Many were outraged, thinking that the revolutionary concept took away many of the things that made Pokemon Battles so fun. Naturally, as with all new trends, society began to split into two, and distinct groups were formed. The league idea was supported by the Kings of Hierarchy, and the old ways were supported by the Purists of Nature. Each name reflected the beliefs they represented. The Kings believed that only through a strict rule system could all battlers have equal rights in the grand scheme of things... with all competitors having an equal shot at becoming "King", or "Champion", as we know it today. The Purists, on the other hand, felt that rules took the thrill out of doing things. They thought every battle should be a fight to the death, sometimes literally, and that their way was how nature intended it."

"How come I haven't heard about any of this before in my life? Granted, I never cared, but still..."

"That's simple. Why would that history have been erased? Why does any history get erased?"

"Because those in charge don't want their secrets known."

"Exactly. And... what does that tell you?"

"That the Kings won."

"Exactly. And from what I've learned, it wasn't pretty. Turns out, in a twist of fate, the sides were horribly unequal. It would appear, the Kings wanted the new rule system because most of them were the best of the best. Consider it the professional league of any sport. Now, the Purists, while probably unrivaled in their passion, were more than outmatched in their actual skill. Have you ever seen a battle of Pros versus ordinary Joes? It's no contest. The skirmishes arose quickly, and were finished even quicker. Bad blood grew between the two rapidly."

"I think I'm starting to see what happened. Let me guess: The Purists became desperate, and wanted to hurt the ones who'd been hurting them?"

"Yeah. And that's when it became more about pride, and less about battles. Terrorist attacks began, and things exploded. Of course, the winning side garnered more support, and the Purists became outlaws. Action needed to be taken quickly. The strongest members of both sides met for peace talks, and realized that they could make some compromises. That's how the Pokemon League as we know it now began to be formed. The group of decision makers came to be known as the Elite Four, which is why that tradition is still carried on today."

"And that was it? Happy fun time from then on out?"

"Sadly, no. The Purists were obviously weaker, save for the few elite battlers among them, and any merging of sides would seem like an annexation. The Purists weren't going to give up so easily, and what's worse is that they saw the peace talks as a betrayal. Thus, the Elite Four became strictly a Kings tradition. As the attacks continued to grow in number and violence, the Kings took action, and began one of the darkest secrets the League's history bears witness to: Mass extermination of the opposition."

"And they really managed to cover up something that big?"

"Hell no. Covering up something like that is damn near impossible. They merely smudged it on the pages. Those in power write whatever history they deem fit. Sure, there was outrage for a while, but it dies out over time. Not only were they in control, they had human nature on their side."

"Meaning?"

"People stop caring about revolution after a while. It's a novel concept, but if we fear one thing above all, it's change. Humans are creatures of habit. And the Pokemon League is a solid system. Nothing needs fixing, so no problem. Plus, their marketing pitch changed from being the greatest belief, to being what battling was all about. Over time, people began to think the League was synonymous with Pokemon. And so time passed."

"That's horrible!" Vesta couldn't believe the story she was hearing. "How are things like that even possible?! They just killed them for disagreeing?!"

Ken had been staring out of the window absentmindedly for quite some time, seemingly unblinking. "Nobody said humanity was pure. We're flawed, that's for sure. But damned if it's not the best we've got to deal with..."

His uncle interrupted. "_Anyways_... that's a quick summary of the professional League we know and love today. Now, this brings me to the point of this story. The ideals of the Purists still live on today. Not as extreme as their past, but rather, in a large group of trainers who're fed up with the League itself. Most of them just don't like to travel, heh heh..."

"What are you saying?"

"That facility I hooked up? That's one of the newfound "Gyms" in what's popping up all around Sinnoh: The Underground League, or the UGL for short. And apparently, it's all the damn rage in the region these days."

"So, you thought it would interest me?"

"Doesn't it? It's actually not as amateur as it sounds. There's some real competition to be had, and it's a new test for the trainers every time. It seems that some real big name professional trainers have given it a shot... And failed miserably. It's beyond tough."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm intrigued... But now I'm more interested in what this has to do with her."

"I know, I know... I knew you'd be hell bent on helping her when I heard about her. So, here's everything I've managed to dig up on the current Champion of the Jubilife branch of the UGL."

Ken's uncle slid an envelope across the table to him, and Ken rushed to open it. _What?! It's empty?!_

"What the hell, old man?! The damn thing's empty!"

"Yup. Because that's everything I've been able to confirm about the guy."

"So how the hell is that gonna' help us?"

"Because of a rumor or two I've heard. Apparently, the Champion's name is Ace. That much I can tell you for sure. As for battle style, nobody has any clue. He follows the standard mythological level of hype that most Champions get, like he once killed a man with a Pokeball and other bullshit. The one that stood out though? I hear he's got wings."

"Wings...?"

Vesta was still confused. "What does that matter? Another tall tale, right?"

Ken spoke first. "Maybe I'd have agreed before, but I've got a tale of my own now, and it involves a girl with one."

The three sat their in silence for a long time while Ken thought things over. Finally, he announced his decision. "Okay old man, you win. I'll bite on the lead, just like you knew I would."

"Glad to hear it. You should start training tomorrow, so get to sleep. Don't worry about registration or anything, I've already paid your entry fee. The next tournament starts in two weeks. Goodnight."

"Gah... conceited ass..."

* * *

Ken was on his back, laying on the pavement, panting heavily and bleeding through his shirt. His Luxio and Eevee were curled up on either side of him, panting just as hard. He rolled to his side and stroked Eevee behind her ears.

"Hah... haha... Looks like Eevee's getting tougher, right Lux?"

The lion growled his acknowledgement, and the three continued catching their breath. It had been eight days since he started training with his Pokemon, and he could see the results with his Eevee, especially because of the lack of training it had received prior.

Kendrick himself had to agree that the work had been good for him. He was skeptical at first when his uncle mentioned he should spar with his Pokemon, to get a better feel for what it was like for them, but he had to admit the knowledge was invaluable. Every time Luxio swiped at his body, he knew he had to dodge it or face paralysis. The sheer pressure of that feeling had forced Ken to improve his physical coordination greatly. Conversely, Luxio became better at masking his attacks before using them, cutting the time his opponent had to react to them in half, a feat Ken found more amazing than he could have hoped.

While Luxio's work was more focused on improving his existing skills with speed and power, Eevee had yet to even develop a style. Ken had originally intended to let the two spar together, but after three quick matches ending in Eevee losing consciousness, Ken figured that was out of the question. Instead, he grabbed a bunch of old tennis balls from his uncle's garage and spent a couple of days teaching her what he thought was the most important skill in battle: Dodging. Luckily, the learning process was relatively quick, as is often the case with pain.

Once Eevee had gotten faster, Ken had thought it was time to teach her how to hit an opponent. He started this training with himself as the target of Eevee's tackles, but quickly stopped when he realized how quick of a learner she was. Within hours, she rarely failed to connect with his stomach, and he switched himself out with Luxio. What Ken saw next surprised him immensely. After several failed attempts to tackle the new, four-legged body type she was presented with, Eevee proceeded to make a larger target. She tried to Scratch and Bite Luxio's feet, and changed the larger Pokemon's center of gravity. Once, she attacked both of his front paws at once, and Luxio had no choice but to rear up on his hind legs. Immediately, Eevee slammed into his midsection, winding the lion for several minutes. Ever since, the three had taken turns sparring with each other, no holding back. Kendrick had also begun to notice that Eevee seemed to have better endurance than Luxio, and was much more comfortable trading blows than avoiding them.

"Well guys, let's get back to work. It's almost noon, and the girls will be here soon... Oh, speak of the devil."

He flipped onto his feet and dusted himself off, facing the woman who'd been watching him from behind a tree.

"I was wondering how much longer you were gonna' loaf around..."

"Good afternoon, Sera!"

Although he'd only met her on his third day in Jubilife, he had grown fond of her daily visits to monitor his training. When she introduced herself that first time, she told him she was from the UGL, that she'd read his file, and that he was cute enough to get her attention. He didn't bother asking questions, and made a point of messing around with her until she either left or told him what she really wanted. She'd yet to confess.

"You've got less than a week of training left... You aren't planning on working until the night before are you?"

Her calm, smooth tone never failed to catch Kendrick's attention. _The way she lets her voice trail off after sentences... It's kinda' sexy._

"Maybe. What of it?"

"You'll need the rest..."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Besides, the more I train, the more you get to see me all hot and sweaty."

"Of course... what I always wanted."

"Today the day you tell me what you want with me?"

"Nope..."

"Ah, couldn't hurt to ask. You planning on starting a fight with Vesta again?"

"I don't start fights, I end them... that's my job."

"Eeesh... you sure are a cocky one."

"That dog-girl is nothing to me. Foxes have been avoiding them since forever."

Vesta came walking around the corner holding a large sack of food, back to wearing dresses and hats since her traits had returned. Ken's mind briefly wondered how long after he met Sera they had re-appeared.

"Dog-girl? Don't be so pompous. Foxes have tried avoiding dogs no longer than since dogs were trained to _kill_ them."

"Please, spare me the threats... I'm only here to watch Kendrick train."

Vesta's anger was more than apparent, and she spoke through clenched teeth. "Well, you can watch from where I can't see you. Scram."

"Of course... I wouldn't want to catch a burn, would I? Ken, I'll be up on your roof if you need me. Talk to you later..."

She vanished from their sight as Ken's team sat down next to him patiently as they waited for Vesta to unpack their lunch, barely listening as she fumed on.

"Man, she just really pisses me off! I mean, where does she get off watching the competition train before a battle? Isn't that cheating?! Here, Eevee, sweetie... I brought you your favorite. And then, the bitch calls me a dog?! She sticks that neck of hers out here again, I swear I'll rip her throat out. Ken, pass that to Luxio. Here's a bit of steak I snagged for him too. And what the hell did she mean by "burn"? What's she trying to say?"

"That they know what you are."

"How could they know something like that?"

"Beats me. I don't know how she knows half the stuff she does, so I just stopped worrying. I have been wondering though, why you keep calling her a fox?"

"Shut up. Don't worry about it."

"Okay... Can I have my food now? I'm starving, and Luxio's not the type to share."

"Oh, sorry... here."

As the three sat against the wall of his uncle's house wolfing down their food, Ken watched Vesta. Normally talkative during their lunch break, she presently was sprawled out on her back staring up at the clouds. Luxio seemed to pick up on his concern, and nudged his hand after they had all finished their meals.

He leaned down and whispered to his Pokemon. "Yeah, I know. Hey, you two have been training hard. Go take Eevee inside the house and catch a nap. You guys earned it."

When the two had gone inside, Ken walked over and laid down on Vesta's side, staring up at the sky with her.

It was quite some time before one of them spoke, but neither could be sure how long. Time's passing felt like hours being crammed into minutes.

Vesta rolled over to face Kendrick as he lay. "The sun feels so warm today... and the wind... it's amazing."

"Yeah."

"Shouldn't you be training?"

"Probably should be, but I'm taking a break right now."

"Can you really afford these 'breaks'?"

"Haha, very funny. It looked warm where you were laying, so I decided to join you. Now stop ruining the atmosphere. It's too nice of a day for that."

"Hmmm... yeah, it is..."

Ken remained focused on the sky, feigning ignorance to the fact that Vesta was now looking at him. _Geeze, why's she just staring at me like that?_

"Hey, Kendrick?"

"Yeah?"

"Is this thing really as dangerous as your uncle made it sound?"

"What're you talking about? It's just Pokemon battles. Don't worry about it."

"The way he tells it, it's lawless Pokemon battles. And I am worried about it."

Ken didn't say anything, electing to continue watching the clouds pass by.

"Don't do it. It's not that important."

"I need to get back to work. Only six days left after all."

He started to get up, but she grabbed his shoulder and held him back to the ground.

"Why not, take the whole day off? It'll refresh Eevee and Luxio... And you wouldn't have to get up and leave the sun."

For a moment, he was taken back by her request. After regaining his composure, he decided it couldn't hurt to relax for a little while.

"Okay, I will."

She smiled and tightened her grip on his body.

"But Vesta, I'm still going through with this. You know that."

"...yeah."

He took his free hand and messed with her hair. "Hey, don't be like that! Nothing's gonna' happen to me, I promise. And when I fight that Ace guy, I'll beat him till he tells me what I want."

She buried her face in his shoulder. "But you don't have to..."

"But I want to. Damn it, don't worry about why. Just believe me. Trust me. When I say I want to do this for you, I mean it. No more argument, okay?"

"Okay."

They laid together in the sun until they had each fallen asleep. When Ken awoke, night was already setting in. He glanced at Vesta and saw that she had gotten up before him, and was still staring absently into space.

"Hey, you still worrying?"

"No... Well, yes. But not about that."

"Well, you wanna' tell me about it?"

"No. I wouldn't want to bother you more than I have."

"Yeah... of course..."

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What do you think... will change? I mean, whatever I learn about myself, something's going to change, right?"

"Everything changes. You need to be a bit more specific, silly."

"Hmmm... never mind. It's nothing. Let's go inside, it's getting late."

"Okay..."

Vesta got up and left, leaving Kendrick to sit there thinking about how the day had turned out. Before he could get started though, Sera returned to say good night.

"Oh, it's you. Hard day of work, huh?"

"It might've been. Never underestimate the power of compassion. It affects life in unpredictable ways..."

"Wow, you've got a comment on everything. You gonna' tell me why you're watching me yet?"

"No. And I comment on what I feel needs commenting. Like what an idiot dog-girl is."

"Hey, you say things like that about her, but why? What started this?"

"Merely a friendly rivalry. Not the friendliest, but not particularly hateful."

"Rivalry? How can you two have a rivalry? You just met."

"Because she's a dog. And I'm a fox."

"Whatever."

"Oh, and there's one more thing I wanted to tell you. This one's from me only, and I'm technically supposed to say anything."

"What is it?"

"Your Eevee. It's a liability right now."

"Shut it. That's why we're training."

"Of course, you know that. But honestly, how big of an impact do you think it can make?"

"Enough of one. That all you wanted to say?"

"No... I had some advice. You've only got 5 days now though. Have you heard of the move Last Resort?"

"Yeah..."

"Teach it to her. Not many Pokemon will be able to last against it late in a battle."

"And how the hell do I do that?"

"Not my problem. It's your Pokemon. My only advice is to think about how the move works. Pokemon can use certain moves because it seems to be encoded into their DNA. Somewhere in its body, it knows how. It's up to you to bring it out. Good night."

She walked off before listening for his response, leaving him more confused than when their conversation began.

"Great, more work. I really shouldn't have taken the day off..."

_But damn... it felt nice._


	6. Chapter 6 3, 2, 1, Go

Author's Note:

Well, here it is. My first chapter I really felt happy writing, which is ironic considering it's ending.  
I'm pleased with how it turned out, and I hope you all will be too.

Like I've said, comments are awesome. I love good, and I appreciate bad, so feel free to let me know what you think.

Well, hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I do. Consider it a taste of things to come as I get more chances to write without giving explanations.

* * *

**"No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible." George Chakiris**

Ken woke up with a massive headache, head locked on the ceiling so as not to move and aggravate it any further. It had now been exactly two weeks since they'd arrived in Jubilife, and his first taste of the Underground League was to start at sundown. They'd only taken a half-day of training yesterday at Vesta and his uncle's request, and it had him a bit worried. His mind was racing with possible battle scenarios and how he'd deal with them.

_Oh man... Did we do everything we could? Luxio's in top form, but could he be better? And Eevee... She hasn't even experienced real battle before. Can I really let her fight today? I didn't even teach her Last Resort. I don't even know how! Fuck me..._

He rolled off the bed onto the floor and after climbing to his feet, stumbled towards the bathroom. Once he'd managed to keep his eyes open, he hopped in the shower. As he was drying himself off, he jumped at the sound of the smoke alarm blaring. Ken threw a shirt on and rushed to see what had happened, only to find his uncle sitting backwards on a chair, laughing as he watched Vesta flail about the kitchen.

"Ken, you're just in time! Pull up a chair and watch the show!"

Vesta turned to shout at the heckling man, and Ken had trouble figuring out why her creamy yellow hair had pancake batter in it. "Make yourself useful or get back in the living room!" As she made to turn around, she realized Kendrick had woken up, and made to cover her hair with a spoon. Her effort only made matters worse.

She let out a frustrated scream and went back to her work as Ken attempted to fan out the room from the smoke starting to fill it. "Hey, uh, Vesta? What the hell is going on in here?!"

"Ken, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to cause any problems, but I figured it'd be nice for you to start off the day with a big breakfast and... Damn it! Why isn't the smoke stopping?!"

He entered the kitchen and reached over her head, turning the oven off. He laughed as she looked at him, ready to cry. She slumped down until she was sitting with her back to the stove, sobbing into her arms, spoon and batter still stuck in her hair.

Kendrick reached down and brought her back to her feet. "Come on now... What's the matter? Can you stop crying for a second?" She slowly brought her arms from her face, standing up straight to face him. He fought off the urge to laugh at how the spoon stayed in the hair. "Okay now, let's see if we can fix this, okay? Smile for me?"

She began to laugh sheepishly, and Ken started wiping the mess off of her face. "Oh man... What were you even trying to make?"

Vesta was still sniffling as she spoke. "Pancakes. And biscuits. But those were in the oven, so... Oh, and I was going to make chocolate milk."

"Wow... Okay, why don't you start making that, while I clean up what I can over here?"

After a while, Ken had managed to get most of the kitchen clean and was almost ready to start cooking again, when his uncle burst out laughing. He turned around and saw Vesta's face covered in chocolate powder she was trying to use for the milk.

"Uh, why don't we just go out for breakfast?"

* * *

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit... This is it man. These guys are gonna' be your opponents. Each one of them is trying to win, and to do that, they've gotta' beat you. That's how it works. Oh shit. That means they already know that. That means they're not afraid to beat me. Ohshitohshitohshit!_

Tai glanced around the lobby all the entrants had been gathered in and instantly felt like he had made a mistake. At fourteen years old, he was easily the youngest one there, and by far the smallest. His black hair was shaved short, and his glasses were bent at the edges, causing them to sit crooked on his face. He silently cursed the fact that nobody had told him the other trainers would all be adults.

When he had arrived with his mother, they had stayed together in the corner of the room as everyone arrived. His mom had protested his participating, but he refused to listen. The day he heard there was a prize of $20,000 was the day he made up his mind.

_I'm not letting my mom go another week without her surgery. There's no other option._

After all 60 of the competitors had shown up, everyone said their goodbyes to their family and friends, and the non-entrants were led to another room. Since then, they'd been waiting around for the tournament to start. Nobody was talking, but each was glancing around the room at their newfound foes.

Finally, the door swung open revealing a man wearing a business suit who walked to a small podium set up near the front of the room. Half of the fighters stood up and organized before the man, and as the rest saw what was going on, they joined. Tai took his place between a man with legs the size of small trees and another guy wearing black sweatpants. The group was lined up in five rows of twelve.

The businessman's voice filled the silent room.

"Welcome, challengers, old and new! You are standing in the pre-battle holding facility for the UGL's competitions. My name is Locke, and I am the arena manager for this city's facility. Now, for all entrants, please listen as I summarize what the first round of the tournament entails. Every entrant will begin in a different location somewhere in the maze 40 feet below me. The maze consists of walls made from steel. Extremely thick steel, might I add. While you may be able to destroy them, this is highly unlikely, and to make it simpler, it is banned. Doing so is to forfeit the tournament. The maze is divided up into several regions marked by the terrain found on the floor of each. These regions vary from solid steel chambers, to dirt, to flooded rooms, and many more. With the exception of these regions, each part of the maze is the same. It's all one massive labyrinth, and quite complex. As such, the first round of the tournament is simple: Find the room marked as the exit, where one of our officials will be waiting to record what order you finished in. The first to reach the exit receives 100 points, the second gets 75, and third gets 50. From then, it's 25 points for fourth, 24 for fifth, 23 for sixth, and so on until positions 29 and up receive no bonus points. Now, where the battling comes in. You're bound to encounter other fighters in the maze. Each Pokemon you knock out in battle counts as 5 points. Each trainer eliminated is worth 15. Obviously, battle is recommended, as many of our repeat challengers learned from previous experience. Of course, dropping you into a maze with no clue how to move about could cause you to take days to find the exit. That's why, everyone of you will be wearing these."

Locke handed a box of earpieces to the group, and each took one from the bag. Tai was getting anxious from hearing the rules. He loved mazes.

"With these headsets, you'll be able to hear what your coordinator says to you."

One of the entrants spoke up. "Aren't coordinators those people who display their Pokemon in contests?"

Locke merely chuckled. "Whatever you know about Pokemon up there, won't do you any good down here, I assure you. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Your coordinator has been pre-decided, and has already begun to familiarize themself with your abilities. They will be watching from the box that your families are in, and will provide you with everything they see going on from above, as well as statistics like Pokemon and trainers left, points scored, and so on. They are your only lifeline, and are crucial to your success. And that about covers it all for this round. It's quite simple really. Reach the exit, battle trainers, don't get eliminated. Any questions?"

The guy with black sweatpants next to Tai spoke up.

"So when do we meet Ace?"

Murmurs filled the room and Tai started to wonder who he was talking about.

Locke focused his eyes on the man. "You'll meet Ace if you deserve to. Until then you've got bigger problems to worry about."

"Like? And these battles... what are the rules? I heard anything goes. That true?"

Another voice chimed in from the room. "This your first tournament? Shit, I'll be looking for you."

As others grunted their interest in the newly discovered rookie, Locke shut down the chatter. "Enough. Save all of that for the battles. The people want a good show, no? As for you, that's completely true. All that matters is eliminating opponents and making it to the end first. How you do it, does not matter. The police's reach ended when you walked down those stairs."

"How the hell is that possible? Jesus, this kid here is barely a teenager!"

Tai winced at the mention. He had wanted to be as invisible as possible.

"It's how things work, sorry. As for the kid, he may just become another statistic. Since we started these competitions four years ago, we've yet to have more than 22 people finish this round. Not all of the others walked out of here either. You all knew the risks."

_No I didn't. Nobody told me this. This isn't what I thought!_ Tai couldn't believe what he was hearing.

The man in sweatpants seemed agitated too. "Dead?! Why the hell are you letting people kill each other? What possible benefit could that give?! That's not what a battle is!"

A cold voice shot out of the back of the room. "There's a simple reason. Without a trainer to give orders, what good is a Pokemon? They're nothing but wild creatures then. What's your name?"

"The name's Kendrick. And yours might be garbage, but mine are more than wild creatures."

"We'll see. My name's Dalen. I'll keep an eye out for you. You better be a quick learner."

Locke seemed satisfied with what he'd heard. "Enough. It's time to start. And you've got more pressing concerns."

Tai managed to find his voice. "Like what?"

"Like sticking the landing." He flipped a switch on his podium, and Tai started falling.

* * *

_Slides? Really? Wow..._

After Locke had pushed the button, Ken had fallen down into a tube where he was standing and was now sliding down it. He looked around and saw all of the other slides and realized they wound around one another, each of them transparent. He also caught his first glimpse of the maze and realized just how big it seemed to be. He quickly tried to locate the exit, but couldn't get a fix on where he was with all the twists and turns his pipe went through. He caught another entrant out of the corner of his eye running alongside his slide and saw he was busy taking as many pictures of the maze as he could.

_Shit! I wish I would've known that! Damn it!_

His pipe veered off and took him directly under another. As he looked up, he saw a man with purple hair flipping him off and laughing on their way down.

_Ass. You better hope I don't find you down there._

Suddenly, every slide split apart, hurtling them towards different sections of the maze. After another minute of falling, the slide leveled out sharply, and Kendrick slid out onto his back and into a wall. He slowly got to his feet and started studying his surroundings.

_Looks like I ended up in a pretty normal room. Only thing weird around here is that it's normal._

As he started stretching out his body, a voice boomed across an intercom system he couldn't see.

"Alright! Ladies and Gentlemen, now is the moment you've all been waiting for! All 60 of our new challengers this month have entered the maze, and the contest will officially begin in 30 seconds! Please place your final bets now!"

_Bets? What the hell? Is this some kind of sport?_

He looked at the ceiling and realized they were underneath some kind of clear material with holes cut out for the tubes that brought them down. Ken saw the press box everybody must have been sent to, and began to wonder what Vesta and his uncle were thinking.

"Okay! Now, the UGL presents to you, UGL 52! Trainers! 3! 2! 1! Go!"

Cheering broke out over the intercom, and Ken guessed there had to be at least a thousand people watching. _Well, now's as good a time as any. Let's go win this bitch._

He slipped the small headset over his ear, and turned it on. A low crackle filled his ear until the radio focused, and a familiar voice spoke to him. _Sera?_

"Hello again Ken. In case you can't tell, I'm your coordinator. Pleasure to work with you."

"Haha... so that's why you've been stalking me everyday? And you couldn't just tell me what you were doing?"

"Sorry, against the rules. My job is merely to observe until the day of the event. Now I can provide support though. Shall we?"

"Please, you better take the lead on this dance. I'll follow step. Where to first?"

"You started fairly far from the exit. If you didn't run into any problems, it'd be an hour long walk."

"What?! Fuck! How big is this place?!"

"Stop whining. The others won't be waiting, and some of them entered about 20 minutes from the exit. You've got some real ground to make up."

"Shit, alright. Do I just start running?"

"Go forward, I'll tell you where from there."

"Got it."

* * *

Kendrick had been running for about 5 minutes when he heard the first signs of battle occurring. It was muffled from the distance between them, but he knew the sound of electricity anywhere.

"Hey, Sera. Who's rockin' the lightning?"

"It's near the center of the maze. Two trainers found each other and are fighting with a Jolteon and a Linoone. I can't see it very well, just some bits. Important?"

"Nah, just curious. Hey, speaking of, can you search each person down here? I want to know about a man named Dailon, or something like that."

"You mean Dalen? Why?"

"Because he's a total hottie. It doesn't matter! Just tell me what you know about him."

"Cute. Well, I know he's trouble. This would be his fourth tournament. He's made it past the first round every time. Let me pull up the Pokemon he's using right now."

"He's made it three times? That really that impressive?"

"Not spectacular, but a testament to him not being a pushover. He's entered with a Raticate and a Graveler. Graveler is a problem, obviously. Oh, and an Eevee. That'd be an interesting match for you two."

_Graveler? Damn, why him? Guess I should keep my distance._ "Bah, he's crap. I'll mop him up if I see him. Make sure I don't though, okay? I'll trust your judgment in that matter."

"Affirmative. Hey, that fight just ended. The Jolteon won. The other guy and his Linoone aren't moving, but they're still alive. Probably just paralyzed."

"Hmmm... Well, that's cool then. How does he get out? You people send someone?"

"After the match is over, yeah."

"I see. I hear fights more frequently now."

"There's about six fights going on. About to be seven! You up for a match?"

"I have a choice?"

"Well, if you want to win, you've got to fight."

"Then where is he?"

"Coming towards you. Stay put. I'll pull up his data."

Ken stopped in the middle of the hallway and realized how cold it had gotten. While running he hadn't noticed, but the temperature had dropped to below 50 degrees. He gathered himself and waited for someone to come around the corner.

"Ken, I've got him. He's a repeat challenger. Nothing impressive, but he's got a Scyther. It's not well-trained, but it's dangerous. Keep an eye on him."

The first thing Ken noticed as the man walked around the corner was his hair. Black, stringy, and dripping with sweat. _Haha... He looks tired._

"Fuck, it is cold in here! Why the fuck did I get dropped in Snowpoint?!"

"Haha, yeah. Nice to meet you. I'm K--"

"Yeah yeah, I'm sure you are. It's not gonna' matter soon. I'll call you 15, because that's all you're worth to me."

Ken growled under his breath to where only Sera could hear. "Alright then. Luxio, let's wreck his shit."

Both Pokemon stretched out as they were released from their balls, and Ken couldn't help but be impressed by how loose the Scyther looked.

His opponent didn't waste any time. "Scyther! Slash his ass!"

"Luxio, heads u--"

Kendrick ducked as he caught a glimpse of silver-white blade coming towards him. His eyes grew wide as he saw the scythe inches above his face, where his head had been seconds before. The shock quickly folded to anger.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"Gah... You dodged... No fun!"

Sera was nearly screaming at him on his headset. "Damn it! I told you to be careful! I told you he'd attack you! Are you trying to get killed?!"

"Damn it, you didn't say that at all!" Ken stood up and took a few steps away from the Pokemon. Luxio was rigid with electricity as he faced the Scyther. "Hey asshole! What was that?!"

"A battle, dumbass. Man up already."

"Try that shit again."

"Oh? And what if I do? You gonna' sic the cub on me?" The trainer leapt towards Luxio, now fixated only on Scyther, and delivered a full kick to its midsection. The lion let out a small roar of pain as it rolled onto back.

"Lux!" Kendrick ran to his Pokemon's side, sliding under a playful swipe from Scyther. After checking Luxio's ribs, they both stood up to face off again.

The man cackled as Ken glared at him. "Don't play with me! It's cold as fuck in here! Is the wittle wion hurt? Awww..."

Luxio let out a challenging growl. Ken started smiling.

The smirk didn't escape the other trainer. "What's so funny? His growling? Animals bark and growl so they don't have to bite. It's meaningless to the most ferocious creatures. Like bugs."

Ken started chuckling now. "That growl? That was just Luxio's way of saying you kick like a little bitch. Let's get started now, shall we?"

"Fuck you! Scyther! Rip him open! I want to know what he ate this morning!"

Kendrick tapped the ground twice with his foot before sliding it back, and Luxio shot a warning bolt of lightning up above him, causing Scyther to hesitate. Ken took the opportunity and ran towards the other trainer, leaving Scyther an open shot at his back, which the Pokemon lunged at.

The original hesitation slowed it down just enough for Luxio to jump and bite into its wing as it flew by. Scyther screamed in agony as the lion clenched it's teeth harder, pumping electricity through his mouth. The Scyther started flailing around in the air to shake it loose, but to no avail.

The Scyther's trainer stared in disbelief as his Pokemon slowly slipped from consciousness, eventually collapsing on the ground. A small trail of blood was dripping from Luxio's mouth as it stood on top of its body.

Ken reached the trainer and grabbed his arm and the back of his head. "Don't you ever touch my Pokemon."

He screamed as Ken whipped him around in a circle before driving his face into one of the steel walls. As he fell to his knees and elbows, his hands went to cover his newly broken and profusely bleeding nose. Ken finished up with a kick to his side and a silent prayer he'd cracked his ribs.

As the trainer rolled around shouting and numb with pain, Kendrick leaned down next to him to say his goodbye. "Don't try to hide it. It's cold as fuck in here, right? Enjoy that feeling."

Luxio called to Ken, and the two of them ran further down the hallways of the labyrinth.

* * *

After another 10 minutes of running under Sera's guidance, Ken noticed Luxio was moving awkwardly and still had blood on his mouth.

"Hey, Sera. Is there anybody nearby?"

"Not that I can see. It'll probably be another 10 minutes before you reach somebody else at this rate. Why?"

"I need a break. We're finally out of the cold, and now seems like a good time to regroup."

"Alright. Well, you're clear. I'll tell you if anybody comes nearby."

"Thanks. Lux, come here. I thought I already wiped the blood off. Man, that's nasty."

Sera interrupted. "You did. That's not Scyther's blood anymore."

"What? No... Luxio, you're hurt?" Luxio growled a weak acknowledgement. "Shit, come here."

The lion protested, bristling his fur with electricity. For the first time, Ken heard Sera laugh. "It seems he's as dumb as you."

"Shut up. And Lux, I'm not telling you again! Be tough in battle, fine. But don't hurt yourself for no reason. Let me wrap your stomach up."

As Ken worked to heal up Luxio's injury, he started to wonder why Sera was being so quiet. "Hey, Sera. You sure didn't talk much during that battle. Are you overflowing with faith in me, or is helping me outside of your job description?"

"Well, it's certainly not faith. And I don't have a job description. And I didn't shut up for a second during that battle."

"What?! Were you really talking?"

"Of course. But I turned my microphone off. Past experience says it's distracting to have a backseat trainer."

"Haha... Yeah, that makes sense."

"Kendrick, did you really not expect him to attack you personally?"

"Hell no!"

"But I warned you!"

"No, you said to keep an eye on him!"

"But that's what I meant!"

"That's not what I understood though... Alright, it doesn't matter now though. This communication thing is something we'll have to work on. But for now, it's trial and error."

"Maybe. That reminds me... You didn't give Luxio a single command in that fight. Why not?"

"I didn't? Wow... Well, it must be because it didn't call for one. Lux knew what to do, didn't you buddy?" The lion purred loudly as it walked around testing its new bandaging.

"Bullshit. If he didn't attack, you'd have gotten impaled. How did he know what you were going to do?"

"Haha... Easy. I tap once for him, twice for me. A slide back is an attack, and a pivot sideways is a defense. There's more than that, but that's the trick I used there. Now, no more questions. Magicians never reveal their secrets."

"Clever..."

"Hey, I've got 20 points, right?"

"Yeah. That puts you in 17th place."

"17th?! Shit."

"The leader has 55 points. People are nearing the exit... But you should still have about 15 minutes."

"Luxio. I'm sorry buddy, but we've gotta' go. I'll let you rest up in your ball though." After returning his Pokemon to its ball, he started off down the way he was going. "So Sera, where to now?"

Kendrick slowed his pace when she didn't respond. "Sera, where now? Sera?" His headset remained silent. _Damn it. Where the hell did she go? I don't have time for this shit. She told me pretty much where to go anyways._

Remembering her instructions to take the third right coming up, he turned up his pace. Lost in thought about Sera, and starting to wonder what Vesta was doing, Ken's focus wandered off. After turning down the hallway he realized it was slanted and covered in running water. He instantly slipped and slid down the rushing water slide.

He struggled to right himself against the current, and saw that the water flow was sending him straight into deeper waters. After holding his breath, he slammed into the water and regained his momentum, swimming to look around the pool. He realized that the room he fell in to was completely flooded, and saw light shining from the other side. _Light. There's got to be an exit._

Chest burning, he started to doubt whether he'd be able to reach air in time. Almost to the edge, he couldn't hold out any longer and gasped for breath, only to swallow a mouthful of water. Panicked, he found the ledge and pulled himself up and onto the ground, spitting and coughing up as much water as he could. He saw a glimpse of movement in the water from the corner of his eye and rolled his body to get a better look. The water seemed to take form, and the shape began to walk out onto the ground.

_Holy shit! How is this happening?!_

Kendrick tried desperately to get to his feet and face the new menace, but every attempt caused him to cough up more water. He reached for Eevee's ball, preparing for a fight, until a voice came from behind the corner ahead in the hall.

"Hey now. Looks like you made it. Nice." Ken recognized the man as the guy who had been taking pictures on the way down into the maze. "I'd give you time to catch your breath, but I'm afraid it won't matter soon. Vaporeon here is a master in the water. You can probably hold your breath for a couple of minutes. Outlook isn't so good, I'm afraid."

As Ken focused back onto the creature that had come from the water, he saw that it had been a Vaporeon, and that it wasn't waiting for him to make the next move. A blast of controlled water hit Ken, knocking him back into the water he had just escaped. As he moved to gather himself a second time, the Vaporeon dove back in and melded with the water once more. Reaching back for the ledge, Kendrick left his torso exposed, and Vaporeon punished it. All Ken could see of the invisible Pokemon was water gathering form and slamming into his body, only to disappear once more.

After a solid hit to his stomach, Ken painfully swallowed more of the water before managing the ledge. He spit up what he could, and tried for another breath before he was ripped back into the water. Lungs burning with pain, he didn't even have time to think of a plan.

_Damn it! I can't do anything! Luxio's hurt, and he can't breathe underwater either! Not to mention, the electric shock would kill me too... And Eevee? I hate to admit it, but she can't do a damn thing yet!_ The sound of a throbbing heart was pounding in his ears. Vaporeon slammed into his body again. _This isn't fair! I have to win this... I promised her!_ His heartbeat was growing again in his right ear. Once more Vaporeon slammed into his body, hitting his right arm hard. Ken managed to reach the surface again and gasped for more air. This time, the trainer was waiting over him. Kendrick threw Eevee's pokeball up before the trainer kicked him back into the water, praying silently he made the right choice. _Eevee, you've gotta' help me. Please girl..._

The thumping of a heart started kicking up again, and Kendrick noticed that the sound of his heart beating was much slower than his heart actually was. _What the hell? If it's not my heart... Is it Vaporeon's?_

The heartbeat was growing loud in his left ear, so Ken lashed out where he could hear it. Not making contact with anything, he felt dismayed, until the heartbeat faded away. This time, the noise grew louder from behind him. He kicked backwards and it quieted again. _Alright, I think I know how to find it... But I'm running out of air again. I've got to make this one count._

Kendrick heard Vaporeon coming from his right side, but didn't attack, baiting it closer. The burning in his lungs and eyes was excruciating, every fiber of his body wanted to move as he held himself still to listen. No sooner had the water started taking form as had he made his move. He grabbed Vaporeon by the neck and swam to the ledge with the Pokemon squirming in his grasp.

When his face appeared over the ledge gasping for breath, he almost slipped back off as a tongue licked his face. He wiped the water from his eyes to see Eevee jumping up and down excitedly barking. The trainer was slumped up against the wall unconscious, and Ken dropped the Vaporeon on the ground. It ran to it's trainer and wrapped itself in his arms. Ken flopped down onto his back again, exhausted and thankful that it was over, still coughing up water.

Eevee slid off his body and climbed back up onto his arm, nuzzling his face gently. "I don't know what you did, but I'm proud of you. Good girl!" He scratched her behind her ears, and his Pokemon nuzzled harder to show her affection.

After taking a moment to clean out his shoes as best as he could, he checked his headset again. The crackling sound of electronic failure was all he heard. _Fucking water._ Figuring he could at least ask where Sera went, he lifted the sleeping trainer's set from his body.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

A man's voice responded. "Yeah, I'm here. Congratz on getting free, by the way. How'd you do it?"

_How? Shit... I forgot. How the hell did I do it?_ "Magic and kitten giggles, how else? Hey, my ear piece was fried in the water. What do I do now?"

"Give up?"

"Very funny. Look, you're done working now, right? Can you give your display over to my Coordinator or something? Her name's Sera, and she's starting to piss me off."

"Yeah, I could. But Sera's been called away by Mr. Locke. Some kind of emergency going on, I think. I'm not going to help you though. You did just take out my trainer. The bastard didn't even score. I'm tied for dead last in points, so forgive me for not giving a damn about your problems."

"Fine." Kendrick threw the headset to the ground and returned Eevee to her ball. _Just like a damn horse race. The Coordinators are the jockeys and we're their prize steeds. Where the hell is mine?_

Before he could start running again though, a voice called out to him from up ahead. "Excuse me... But please don't attack me! I'm not a threat! My Mightyena's hurt... I need help, please!"

Ken watched cautiously as the trainer came around the corner, but lightened up when he realized who it was. "Hey, you're the kid from before. The young one. Come here, I'll help you out."

Tai couldn't believe his ears. "Oh man, thank you! I told you someone would come, didn't I boy?"

As Tai carried his Pokemon on his back, Ken saw the gash on its shoulder. When Tai shifted the weight to set it on the floor, Ken noticed a similar one on the kid's back. Ken ripped off a piece of his shirt and tied it around Mightyena's wound. "Don't worry. You'll be alright. It's just a deep cut."

"Oh man, thank you so much. He got it when he tried saving me..."

"Haha, well, he's a good friend then. What happened?"

"Some guy with a Scyther entered the maze really close to me. He tried attacking me... I turned around and got cut in the back... I'm really sorry Mightyena. It's my fault..."

"Hey, quit that. I actually met that guy a while ago. He tried the same crap on me. You got away, didn't you? Obviously you did something right. Chin up."

"Wait, the same guy? And you beat him... Oh man. I really don't have any business here..."

"Damn, you're bumming me out! Look, don't worry about it. It was just a rough encounter. Just train for the next time. There, he's all fixed up."

Mightyena stood up and barked once for his thanks before taking his trainer's side again.

Tai seemed to be thinking about what Kendrick had said. "Next time...? I'm not sure there will be a next time. It's my mom..."

"Let me guess, she's sick and needs the prize money for her surgery?"

"Yeah! How'd you know?"

"Wha-? Seriously?! I was just joking! That's amazingly cliché..."

"Shut up! I'm serious. She's really sick..."

"Whoa, calm down dude. I didn't mean I was joking about her, just that I was surprised. Well, I'm sorry, but with that injury, Mighty's in no shape to fight. That, I'm being honest about."

"I know... I just don't know what to do now."

"Well, how about this? I'm planning on making it to the exit, but I don't exactly have a guide. You bring the headset, I'll do the fighting. That way, I can make it out, and you can get through the round. You don't have to quit just yet. Deal?"

"Wait, you'd help me more than you already have?"

"Well, yeah. That's kinda' what you do when somebody needs help. You give it to them."

"I don't even know your name!"

"Name's Kendrick. Yours?"

"Tai, but I--"

"Cool. Now it's settled. Let's go, we've got ground to cover! Lead the way."

Ken smiled as the bewildered boy started down the halls with his Mightyena. _Sorry Vesta, but I can't just leave him._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
_

While they made their way through the corridors, Kendrick had been explaining his situation to his new companion. He noticed that the more he explained his story, the more Tai seemed to hang on every word.

"So she's really got ears and a tail like an Arcanine?! Wow, that's so cool... You're pretty lucky, you know?"

"Lucky? She's been nothing but a plague! And she's really bitchy..."

"But, then why do you like her?"

"Because... I do. That make any sense?"

Tai laughed. "Not a bit."

Ken joined his laughter. "Well, you will one day, I'm sure. By the way, I have a question for you."

"Um, sure. What'd you want to know?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but how did you become that Mightyena's trainer? I always thought they were pack animals. You know, the kind that always follow the strongest."

"Ouch, so I'm not strong enough? Heh, I'm just kidding. I know what you mean. And it's a long story... But pretty much, I saw my buddy here in trouble one day, and I did everything I could to help him. That was probably the strongest I'd ever been in my life. Since then, he's always been there to take care of me."

"Hey, that's pretty cool too. You've got some stories of your own to tell, huh?"

"You think so? Yeah, I suppose it's pretty awesome. Things haven't always been easy for us, with my mom being sick and all. There were times when there wasn't much to eat or things like that, but Mightyena always helped me and Mom out. Haha, I remember a couple times when he'd bring us a Rattata or something else he'd caught to eat! It took a while to get him to stop doing that."

"Oh yeah?! That's pretty funny! Lux used to do the same thing when he was a Shinx. Used to catch food all the time. I... wasn't too fond of his cooking."

The two started laughing again, and didn't stop until Tai stopped running.

"Hey Kendrick, hold up. My Coordinator's trying to tell me something... Oh crap! A trainer's coming!"

"Don't sweat it, I'll take care of him. Stay behind me, okay?"

"Got it."

Ken shook his body loose as the challenger came into view. He instantly remembered whose face was the one smiling at him. "How about that? Dalen, right?"

Dalen mock laughed at the acknowledgement. "So you remembered me? I'm flattered!"

"I never forget a pretty lady's face."

"Did you just call me a girl? I haven't heard jokes like that since elementary school. Nice."

"Hey, I do try."

Dalen motioned to Tai, standing off behind Kendrick. "I was planning for a one on one fight with you Kendrick. Two on one hardly seems fair."

"Oh, don't worry, I was planning on that too. He's not going to fight you, so back off of him."

"Good. I hate dirty battles. By the way, let's have some rules in this battle. None of that attacking the other trainer mess."

"A fair fight? Would you be asking for one if I had the type advantage?"

"Haha, of course I would. I prefer a real battle any day. I see you researched my team though."

"Of course. You've got an Eevee, a Raticate, and that pain in the ass Graveler. I'm impressed though. Never would've expected you to be the fair and upstanding type."

"And all you've got is that Luxio and your Eevee. By the way, my Eevee got hurt in a battle earlier, so he won't be fighting. And what gave you the impression I wasn't?! We've never met."

"So we've each got two? I like it. But good point, we haven't officially met. My name's Kendrick."

"And I'm Dalen. Nice to meet you."

A flash of light, and Ken's Eevee prepared to fight the Raticate baring its fangs before her. Her body flattened out as she took a wide stance.

"Hey, one more thing before we go at it." Dalen got Ken's attention as the two Pokemon continued to square off. "I don't know why, but I feel like I should tell you this. I don't really think of Pokemon as wild creatures like I said. That was all for show, you know? I love my friends. I just don't want you getting the wrong idea of me. You seem like a good guy."

"Yeah, I get you. I'm still kicking your ass though."

"In your dreams."

The two smirked at each other. Ken started things off. "Eevee! Try a Take-Down, but watch out for his ugly ass teeth!"

Dalen reacted. "Raticate, Hyper Fang!"

Eevee launched itself towards Raticate, missing completely. As she landed, she spun around to find Raticate snapping its teeth at her body. Jumping backwards, the teeth slammed shut where she stood moments before. Eevee tried again, and the results played out the same.

Ken watched on as the two made pass after pass at each other, locked in a jousting match neither wanted to lose. _This isn't going anywhere. His Raticate isn't going to leave itself open, and I can't afford to let Eevee expose itself for no reason._

Dalen seemed to sense what Kendrick was thinking and tried to take the initiative. "Raticate, if we're going to catch it, you've got to let it get closer! Judge the speed and time it!"

Ken adjusted accordingly. _Like hell he's tougher than my girl._ "Eevee, teach him not to cut it close! Double-Edge! Go all out!"

The change in Eevee's speed was just enough to play with Raticate's attempts to time it, and she clipped its body enough to make him flinch. The lack of contact caused Eevee to land roughly, and the Pokemon used the wall to break its speed.

"Raticate! Change up your speeds too! Quick Attack!"

"Eevee, you're faster! Turn up the speed!"

After each Pokemon shook off the effects of their last efforts, Raticate took off in pursuit of Eevee. They ran around in frantic attempts to get better position on their foe, but neither could make any progress.

_Damn it! They're ridiculously similar! I've got to do something though... Eevee's not any faster, but she's got to be tougher. She might even be tougher than Luxio. I've got to start treating her like him. I've got to start trusting her!_

Ken shouted his command with a level of authority Eevee hadn't heard before. "Eevee! Let's stop running! Endure!"

She stopped instantly, and braced for the impact. Seeing an opportunity, Raticate increased it's speed and ferocity.

Dalen shouted in a voice as fierce as the Raticate's movements. "Show her what a bad idea he just made! Headbutt!"

Eevee stood her ground, and the two Pokemon collided heads at a violent speed. For a second, Ken thought that the Raticate seemed to have completely stopped moving, but he noticed that the Pokemon's legs were lifting up over him, using the two butting heads as a fulcrum for the change in weight. As quickly as they had collided, Raticate flipped over Eevee's body and into the wall.

Ken wouldn't wait for another chance. _She's got to hit him quick and hard._ "Eevee, Quick-Edge!"

Dalen's confusion from the events unfolding was evident. "Quick what?!"

Eevee dashed at her foe as the Raticate fell from the wall like any normal Quick Attack, but before she landed the hit, Eevee changed speeds and launched at the rat intent on crushing it with a Double-Edge. The attack slammed into Raticate, smashing it against the wall again.

Raticate landed on the ground and crumpled in a heap, as Eevee barked to signal her victory. Dalen returned it to it's ball in a state of wonder. "Quick-Edge? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. You really spend time teaching your Pokemon things like that?"

Ken, relieved to have won the first bout, let out what was half an exhale and half a chuckle. "Nah, I didn't even mean to say that. That was really badass though."

"Agreed. Mind if I use it in the future?"

"Go for it. I'll always be the master at it though."

Eevee made her way back to her trainer, and Kendrick noticed she wasn't very steady on her legs.

Dalen observed it as well. "She seems pretty dizzy. Tends to happen when you use your skull for offense and defense."

"Hey, it was your dumbass who used Headbutt. Eevee, take a rest." Ken returned his Pokemon to its ball. "Well, time for round two."

Dalen released his Graveler, and the Pokemon seemed to tower over Luxio. Briefly, it dawned on Ken that he hadn't actually come up with a plan to fight it. _So just what the hell am I supposed to do? Nothing electric based is going to help. Nothing else is going to hurt it. Maybe I should tell Luxio to Hydro Pump and pray he's as good at improvising as Eevee. Well, no matter what, I have to be the aggressor. If I let him take his time, he'll just pick Luxio apart. Here goes nothing._

"Luxio, let's give him all you've got! Bite, claw, scratch... It doesn't matter! Let's crack this rock open!"

Graveler moved towards the lion, and Luxio jumped onto its back, grabbing a foothold with his claws. He chewed at the Pokemon's body as he scratched away with his back claws, letting loose a frenzy of attacks. Graveler merely shook it's body to get the pest off. Luxio landed on his feet, growling, ready to pounce again.

Dalen couldn't hold back his thrill. "Oh, that's rich! You call those attacks?! This is over."

"It'll never end if you can't catch Luxio."

"I think you underestimate Graveler's speed. Rollout!"

Luxio dodged as the speeding boulder hurtled by, and had no choice but to keep avoiding each attack Graveler launched. Kendrick realized this was a losing battle. As the Pokemon gained more and more momentum, Luxio had an increasingly difficult time dodging. On the sixth attempt, Luxio's dodge trapped him against one of the walls, helpless against the approaching Graveler.

Seeing his Pokemon have no options left, Ken gave him the best idea he could come up with. "Lux! Try and fit the gap between his body and the wall when he hits!"

Luxio flattened his body as low as he could at the last second, and the whole corridor shook from the force of the impact. The indention in the steel was remarkable, with Graveler penetrating roughly 4 inches through the metal. Luckily, the attack barely missed Luxio, and the lion crawled out from its crevice, limping it's front legs.

Kendrick realized the attack hadn't entirely missed, and the force of the attack smashed Luxio's shoulders against the wall. As bad as he was limping, Ken had a feeling it had dislocated or broke them both.

Despite his injuries, the Pokemon was desperately trying to get his trainers attention. Luxio kept motioning towards the Graveler as it was dislodging itself from the wall.

"Luxio, I've gotta' call you back! You're jacked up!" The lion growled fiercely in disapproval, continuing to nod towards the Graveler. "What are you trying to say?! He's going to kill you at this rate!"

Upset, Luxio tried running through his pain towards the now free and slightly stunned opponent. _What the hell is he doing?!_

The lion slipped under Graveler's legs and bit a piece of its body, seemingly intent on ripping it off. Graveler used its short legs to kick the nuisance away, and Luxio got back up on his feet, shaking. _Damn it! I don't understand! I've got to use Eevee. I can't let Luxio get hit again._

As the rock faced Luxio again, Luxio shot a shock of lightning at the Graverler's body. It didn't even flinch, and began walking towards the lion. Luxio looked at Kendrick, and shot another bolt.

Luxio, frustrated, continued the process of shooting electricity at the Pokemon's torso, pleading for Kendrick to understand the message he wasn't getting.

Finally, Luxio charged the Graveler. Within striking distance, he spun around backwards, using his front paws as support while he used his back ones to kick full force into his foe. The attack landed without an effect, and his front legs collapsed under their injury. The lion laid there helpless, unable to stand back up.

"Dalen, stop! Luxio loses!"

"Yeah, I'm not going to do anything more. He's clearly done."

"Thank you..."

Ken ran to grab his Pokemon. "What were you trying to tell me? I don't get it..."

Luxio weakly shot static electricity at the Graveler, and Ken saw where it hit. Almost invisible to the naked eye, there was a large crack in the rocky body from when it collided with the wall. "Luxio, I love you. Thanks for everything. Go ahead and relax. I'll take it from here."

Returning the proud lion to it's ball, Kendrick took his place across from Dalen once more, eyes wild with determination. He sent out Eevee and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Okay girl, are you alright again? Right on his body, in the front, there's a crack. If you hit it hard, we can split it. I know it's a lot to ask, but I know you've got it."

Eevee barked her understanding. "Good girl. Let's give him hell."

Dalen was tired of waiting. "Graveler! Smash her!"

"Don't give him time to move! Take-Down!"

Eevee lunged at the newly found weak point, and recoiled, hurt from the collision.

"Eevee! I'm sorry, but you've got to keep trying! Hit it harder! Double-Edge!"

Graveler, confused by the seemingly self-destructive course of action, continued to let Eevee do what she wanted. Time after time, Eevee would slam into the body, each time, hurting her more and more.

Dalen decided he'd had enough. "Graveler, let's just end this. Body Slam."

"Now's our chance Eevee! Endure it like before!"

The impact was hard enough to shatter bone, but Eevee held her ground. As Graveler rolled back onto its feet, Eevee did her best to remain on her feet, obviously fatigued.

"Please Eevee! I know you're out of energy, but you've got to make this count! We're out of options!"

She began to run towards Graveler, preparing for a final attack. Suddenly, her body started glowing white, and Eevee picked up speed. Bright white and brimming with a new energy, the Pokemon plowed into the Graveler, impacting with an explosion of light and force. The two trainers were blinded temporarily, and slowly regaining their senses they saw the victor.

Lying still on his back, the Graveler was completely unconscious. Eevee stood over his body, and weakly gave her customary victory bark.

Kendrick spoke first. "What the fuck was that?!"

"I think... Your Eevee used Last Resort."

"Eevee! I love you!" Kendrick ran to his Pokemon and tackled it to the ground, holding it tightly to his chest. "You're amazing!"

Eevee licked her trainers face happily and curled up in his arms. Dalen returned his Graveler and walked over to Ken. He reached out to hold Eevee. "May I?"

"Sure, I guess. But she's tired, so don't mess around."

Dalen held the balled up Pokemon in his hands and gently pet it before handing it back to Ken. "I just wanted a chance to hold an Eevee that wonderful. Well, you won. Ass. I'll go ahead and head out. Give them hell in the later rounds."

"Yeah, I will. Thanks. It was a great fight."

As Dalen walked away and turned the corner, Tai came running up with his Mightyena. "That was great! Come on! The end is just another two minutes away! We're almost there!"

While Tai went running off down the hallway, Ken kissed Eevee on her head and returned her to her ball. _Dalen? Thanks for the practice. Eevee's part of the team now._ He shook his head out and chased after Tai.

* * *

"Hey Kendrick, wait a minute." Tai stopped running and crouched next to a wall and began to talk with his coordinator.

"What's the matter?"

Tai stood back up. "Not good. If we take a right here, and another right at the next corner, we'll be at the end."

"And that's bad... How?" Kendrick felt his chest tightening at what Tai was hinting at.

"There's some kind of guy who's waiting for trainers right at the doorway. He's causing a panic back in the observation room. Nobody knows how he got in, but he's not an entrant. What do we do now?"

"Well, is he dangerous? Does anyone know what he's doing here?"

"My coordinator says he's killing everyone who's gotten to the end since he got there. Four, so far. All he's said to people is that he's waiting for something. Kendrick... I can't fight. Your Pokemon can't. I appreciate you helping me, but we can't do anything about this."

Ken couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Fuck! Look, I helped you because it was the right thing to do. I can't sit around waiting though. I have to win."

"But, people are dying! Is winning really important enough for that?!"

"No, of course not... But, that doesn't mean I can just give up!"

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. But I'll see if I can get rid of him or something."

Chest puffed out, Tai tried to stand as tall as he could. "Well I'm helping you. I owe you. Me and Mightyena will fight him too."

Kendrick pushed Tai's chest back down. "Not a chance. You're way too young for this stuff anyways. I'm helping keep you safe, and this would not be considered safe."

"Why not?!"

"You're not, and that's final. Sit down, shut up, and don't move. Got it?"

"No. I'm helping."

"No. You're not. Sit." Kendrick looked like a father scolding his pouting child.

Satisfied when Tai followed his orders, Ken moved ahead to the next hall. _This hall leads past the turn for the end. Looks like the whole final portion of the maze is shaped like a "T" of sorts._ Upon reaching the right turn Tai mentioned, he crouched to listen to voices coming from ahead.

A cocky voice was shouting obscenities, and Kendrick could tell by his voice that he wasn't the guy causing trouble. _Just another punk ass. I wonder if I could slip through to the finish while they fight? Fuck, no. I can't just leave Tai._

The second person spoke, and Ken lost his train of thought. "Are you him? Where are you from?" The man's voice was cold and steely. Compared to the trainers, it sounded like a man in control; a man who had a mission.

"Am I him? Who the fuck are you talking about, you fucking faggot?!"

"Damn it... You're not. And to be honest, you're really annoying. We're done talking here."

With his last sentence, Kendrick felt the chill in his voice. _Shit, he's going to kill him._ Leaping from his cover, Ken stared down the hallway at the two men facing each other, surrounded by the bodies of four other trainers. The trainer who had been shouting had his back to Ken, and the man with the cold voice had his back to a giant doorway marked with a banner designating the finish. Even with the doors flung open, Ken realized that it would be nearly impossible to slip through them around the man's massive frame.

_Holy crap... He's gotta' be at least 7 feet tall..._

Making good on his threat, the giant reached for a combat knife on his chest, and flung it into the eye socket of the trainer. Death was instantaneous, and his body went limp. With blinding speed, the giant dashed to the trainer, catching his body before it hit the ground. In one fluid motion, the giant grasped the skull with two hands, and drove his knee into the knife handle sticking out from the trainer's eye. The knife served as a chisel in the skull, and the force applied caused the trainer's face to split wide open.

As the corpse fell into a puddle of it's own blood and brain matter, Kendrick found himself not breathing.

The massive man bent over to retrieve his knife and saw the new trainer standing before him. "You. Are you him? Are you from Celadon?"

_Celadon?! No fucking way. He's not looking for me. He can't be. That's not possible._

The man took his answer from Ken's face. "Haha, you're him alright. You look just like the picture."

"Who are you? And what do you want from me?"

"You're Kendrick Fenrir, right? The kid who killed Jack back in Celadon?"

"Jack? I didn't ever get his name. And yeah, I'm responsible for that, but it's not exactly my fault. He was attacking me."

"Please, I really don't care at all. To tell you the truth, I want to kill him myself. That bastard's failure is the reason I'm here."

"What the hell do you people want with her?!"

"We want her returned, like we were paid for. You, on the other hand, we want dead. The Talons don't exactly like screwing up jobs. We pride ourselves on results, after all."

"Returned? To who?"

"Uh-uh. No questions. It's none of your business. We're done talking here."

Kendrick knew what was coming in time to duck. The knife flew over his head, shaving off several hairs from the top. With his same ferocious speed, the man grabbed Ken by his arms and swung him around once before flinging him down the hallway. Crashing to the ground, he rolled onto his feet and instinctively reached for his Pokeballs.

_Damn it, Luxio's completely out of it, and Eevee's gotta' be exhausted. What can I do?!_

The giant lowered his shoulders and plowed into Ken. As he grasped frantically at the man's back, he was lifted over his shoulders and thrown over the giant's head. Kendrick landed on his back, the force of the landing winding him completely.

"Hahaha! Come on! This is fun isn't it! Aren't we having fun?!"

As Ken writhed in pain on the ground, the giant dropped the back of his heel into Ken's stomach. Overcome by an urge to cough, with no air to actually manage one, Ken began to realize the situation he was in.

As soon as he'd recovered enough to cough up his own blood, Kendrick felt a fist pound into his face. For what seemed like minutes, the giant delivered blow after blow to his face. Kendrick was beginning to lose consciousness by the time the giant finished. His eyes blurred over with red and black as he watched the man walk towards the doorway.

"You know kid, this was fun. I'd say let's do this again, but we both know better. Well, I'm off to find that girl. Goodbye."

_No... You can't do that..._

Kendrick sputtered up blood as he regained control of his body, and shakily, managed to stand on his feet. "Wait!"

The man turned around, amused. "What the hell are you doing? Just stay down. I don't really feel like killing more than five people today. Just never make yourself a problem again, and we won't hunt you down. That's a pretty good deal, considering."

"More than five? Hah... What a stupid attempt at morality."

"I didn't ask for your opinion."

"You're not taking Vesta."

"Damn it kid. Now you're getting annoying too..."

Before the man could move up on Ken, the space between them erupted in a massive burst of fire. He shielded his eyes as the intense heat washed over him like a wave. When he opened them again, he was now facing the rigid backs of an Arcanine and Ninetails.

As the Ninetails sent another batch of fire at the giant man, the Arcanine nudged Ken towards the wall behind him. After walking him to it, the Arcanine let out a soft bark.

_Vesta? Is that you...?_

Exhausted, Kendrick slumped to the ground and fell asleep upright against the wall.

* * *

Vesta rubbed her head against Ken one more time as he passed out before joining the Ninetails's side once more. _Don't worry Ken. I'll take care of this._

The man had a new gleam in his eye, and it rivaled the gleam of the fire now smoldering around them. "Oh goody! New friends. Garchomp, playtime!"

A burst of light, and the Garchomp was moving in on the Ninetails.

_Damn it!_ Vesta let out a jet of fire at the Garchomp and distracted him as the Ninetails dodged gracefully.

"_You're lucky Sera. Not everyday you get to have a partner as good as me."_

Sera chuckled quietly at her new teammate. _"Really now? Then again, best dog is still just a dog."_

The Garchomp continued to launch attack after attack, while the two girls continued to have their conversation. _"Bitch! You don't have to be here!"_

"_But then who would protect Ken?"_

"_When we're done here, I'm making you regret that comment."_

"_Heh heh, I'm joking. I know you care about him."_

"_Wha-? What are you talking about?!"_

"_You. Like. Him. It's pretty self-explanatory."_

"_That's none of your business!"_

"_Well, it really doesn't matter. I'm thinking he's pretty cute. I'll be sure to care for him when you break his heart."_

"_I wouldn't do something to hurt him!"_

"_Ha! You should try telling him that once in a while. If I had to guess, you already have hurt him."_

A Dragon Rush from Garchomp came dangerously close to Vesta's face. _"Ah, damn it! We don't have time for this. How about a temporary truce?"_

"_A time out to kick ass? Fine by me."_

Before the Garchomp could finish his newest assault, both of the girls had launched Flamethrowers of their own. The sudden rush of fire stunned the dragon, but delivered little actual damage.

While Vesta kept trying the ineffective assault, Sera developed her plan. _"Hey, Vesta! I'm a Ninetails, you know. Ever dealt with Flash Fire before?"_

"_Not exactly. How's it work?"_

"_Basically, the hotter it gets, the stronger I do. Mind turning up the heat? I think we're a little too hot __for this boy to handle."_

"_You know, I think you're right."_

The two did everything they could to light the hallway on fire, and the temperature climbed out of control. The Garchomp, afraid to test the blistering heat, could do nothing to stop the inferno.

Vesta felt exhaustion creeping in, and silently thanked that Sera had been here after all. _I don't care if you're a bitch. He's more important right now..._

With the hall's temperature reaching it's peak, the two stopped their work and faced the Garchomp once more. The Pokemon had grown irritated with having to sit still and sped towards Sera. _She's not that fast!_ In a flash, Vesta tapped into her Extremespeed and intercepted the Garchomp's rush at maximum velocity. The two crashed into the wall, and Vesta drew another burst of speed to get away as Sera followed up with a mighty Fire Blast.

The Garchomp evidently felt the attack, and the girls gained a renewal of energy from their relief.

_Don't worry Ken. I'll protect you. You would for me..._

As their foe gathered his bearings and stood back up, the girls prepared for another assault. This time, the Garchomp wasn't interested in taking more punishment. It burst towards Sera again and Vesta made to protect her a second time. The results were drastically different on the replay, and Vesta's fatigue caught up with her.

She couldn't reach the Garchomp in time, and Sera wasn't ready. The blow sent the fox flailing into a wall as Sera watched on in horror. Struck with fear, Vesta couldn't dodge the new attack, and a Dragon Claw dug deep into her leg. The attack knocked her off her feet, and she could only growl up in anger at the dragon standing over her.

_I'm not done yet. You'll have to kill me first!_

Garchomp rose it's claws to drop a final blow onto Vesta's head, but buckled backwards as a flash of white hit him in his chest. Before Vesta had time to process the action, another flash blew by and slammed into the giant man. Both trainer and Pokemon had been knocked back into the Finish Line room, and the doors swung shut.

Before she knew it, the battle had ended. _What the hell just happened...?_

"_Hey, Sera! Are you okay?!"_

The Ninetails stood up on its feet and let out a groan. _"Yeah, I'm still here. Are you okay?"_

"_Hah... Of course! I am tougher, after all."_

Vesta rose and limped over to Kendrick; blood flowing from her front right leg. She nestled her body between his back and the wall, resting his head against her fur. Curled around him, she slowly started drifting into sleep.

Sera walked over to her. _"Mind if I sit here?"_

"_Yes I mind! But you know, I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks. You're not so bad... For a fox."_

"_Heh... And you're not so bitchy. You know, for a bitch."_

"_Clever."_

"_Go to sleep. I'll keep an eye over you two."_ Sera curled up at the base of Kendrick's feet and rested her head on them.

As the three of them sat in total silence, Vesta noticed she could feel the warmth coming from Ken's body. _He's so warm... And alive. I don't know what I would have done. I lov-_

She stopped the thought as soon as it came. _No! How could I not have noticed?! This stupid feeling! I can't. I've been like this before. This warmth... This fire... It's not something I ever want again. And if that's how I'm going to be, I can't lead him on. I couldn't hurt him..._

As she lost herself in thought, Kendrick stirred in his sleep.

He rolled his body over, causing Sera to readjust, and wrapped his arms around Vesta's body; digging into her fur with his face. "Mmmm... So warm. Vesta, I wish it was always this nice."

Her cheeks flushed with color at his murmurings, and her heart skipped a beat. When she finally fell asleep, the tears were soaking her fur.


End file.
